Jornada 17 came to a close Sunday night.
Alajuelense and Saprissa continued to display dominance over the rest of the league. Herediano couldn’t bounce back at home. The race for fourth continues to be tight.
Below is the updated table and a look back at Jornada 17’s results.
Jicaral 1-1 Grecia
The Jornada opened with a surprising result in Jicaral.
With the burden of relegation no longer weighing heavily, Grecia played a liberated style of futbol. Jose Vargas put Los Greigos ahead in the 75th minute. An improbable three points seemed possible as stoppage time approached.
Carlos Soza’s darting run to the back post put him in the position to score the crucial equalizer. Jicaral managed to salvage a point and stay one point ahead in fourth.
Perez Zeledon 0-1 Cartagines
An uneventful 90 minutes, but a crucial 90 minutes for Cartagines.
Los Azules labored in the heat, unable to truly test Perez Zeledon’s defense. Jhamir Ordain provided the breakthrough in the 64th minute. A poorly defended cross saw his hand make contact with the ball, forcing the referee to point to the spot.
Jose Sosa comfortably put the penalty away. It wasn’t pretty, but it was everything Cartagines needed on Saturday.
Alajuelense 3-0 San Carlos
Another 90 minutes, another dominant performance from Alajuelense.
This time, it was Jonathan Moya who led the charge. Quality hits in the 24th and 62nd minute pushed his goal total for the season to nine. Alajuelense cruised to a 3-0 victory.
The loss dropped San Carlos further back in the race for fourth.
Santos 2-4 Saprissa
The referees played a massive role in Santos on Saturday night. Down 2-0, a phantom foul in the box and a ball that never crossed the line allowed the hosts to equalize in the 58th minute.
Saprissa’s quality took over from there.
Bolaños scored his league-leading, 13th goal of the season from the spot in the 82nd minute. Johan Venegas provided the dagger in the 89th. The victory allowed Saprissa to maintain its four point lead over Alajuelense atop the table.
Limon 3-3 La U
Bat-shit crazy, the only way to describe what transpired in Limon on Sunday.
La U looked every bit the club that will be relegated by season’s end. A pair of quality goals from Yauycell Wright and Guillermo Brooks put Limon ahead 3-1 by the 62nd minute. La U was 30 minutes away from a 10-point deficit in the relegation battle.
That’s when insanity ensued.
Daniel Quiros pulled the first goal back in the 66th minute. Johan Condega equalized in dramatic fashion, a set-piece banger in the 80th minute.
The draw didn’t help La U climb any closer to safety, but it serves as a desperately needed heartbeat.
Herediano 0-0 Guadalupe
Feb. 23, that’s the last time Herediano actually won a game.
Los Florenses were unable to break down a stubborn Guadalupe defense on Sunday. What should’ve been a signature three points at home turned out to be a disappointing draw instead. Herediano’s hold on third is gradually slipping.
Guadalupe remains one point out of the final playoff spot.
Team of the Jornada
| Position | Player | Team |
| GK | Darryl Parker | Cartagines |
| CB | Jose Gabriel Vargas | Grecia |
| CB | Joaquin Aguirre | Cartagines |
| CB | Keynor Brown | Herediano |
| RM | Allen Guevara | Alajuelense |
| CM | Mariano Torres | Saprissa |
| CM | Marvin Esquivel | Limon |
| CAM | Johan Condega | La U |
| LM | Johan Venegas | Saprissa |
| ST | Jonathan Moya | Alajuelense |
| ST | Yauycell Wright | Limon |
