With little to play for besides pride, the San Francisco Deltas fell to the Jacksonville Armada 2-0 in front of the largest crowd ever for the team at Kezar Stadium on Saturday night.

Having locked up the second spot and a home game for the semifinals of the NASL Championship playoffs, SF Deltas coach Marc Dos Santos decided to rest striker Tommy Heinemann who is nursing a slight calf injury and start third-string goalkeeper Alex Mangels, the only active duty player on the roster who had not played a minute all season.

The Deltas did have a chance at claiming the Fall Season crown with a victory against the Armada. On the other side, Jacksonville needed a victory as well to keep their playoff chances alive.

Despite controlling most of the play in the first twenty-five minutes, a moment of some lax defending cost the Deltas their first goal.

The Armada’s Bryam Rebellon had plenty of time to pick out teammate Ciarán Kilduf for a lofted cross into the box. Kilduf soared above the Deltas’ Kyle Bekker to head it to an unmarked J.C. Banks in front of goal. Banks headed it home just past the hands of Mangels.

After the goal, the Deltas continued to hold the majority of the ball and the chances on target. However, in the second half, it became clear with the Cosmos victory over Puerto Rico and Miami FC’s win over FC Edmonton that the result on the field would mean little for each side and they played as such. Jacksonville’s Tony Taylor got onto a corner kick that found the ground in front of goal to finish for the Armada’s second goal.

The Deltas ended the game with 14 shots, but only one on target. Jacksonville had four shots, two on target, which resulted in their two scores.

The result was a disappointment considering the team played in front of a record crowd of 4,755.

“The fans represented the city and were able to push us during the full 90 minutes,” Dos Santos said after the game. “We are disappointed that we didn’t get the result that they deserved, but we know that they will be there to push us in the semifinal game. I’m so proud of the fans that were here.”

With the result, the Deltas finished in second place in the NASL combined and fall season standings, an impressive feat for the first year side. They will host their semifinal playoff match against North Carolina FC at Kezar Stadium on Sunday, November 5th at 5 pm. Tickets priced 5 or 10 dollars are available at sfdeltas.com.