The Ventura County Fusion is under no particular illusion that it is playing particularly well, but it played well enough on Sunday to remain unbeaten at home.

Gabriel Farfan's early goal stood up — but not without some nervous moments in the second half — as the Fusion beat the San Francisco Seals 1-0 in a Premier Development League soccer game at Buena High.

The Fusion improved to 8-4-1 in the PDL's Southwest Division in rebounding from two disappointing late-game defeats on the road, 3-2 at Fresno on a goal in the 88th minute, and 1-0 to the Southern California Seahorses on a goal in the 90th minute. The Seals fell to 4-6-2.

The victory kept the Fusion in control of its playoff fate — with wins in its final three games, it can still win the Southwest Division — but coach Graham Smith is clearly concerned about the state of his club.

"We got back on the winning trail," said Smith, "but we're in danger of just imploding. It's a question of coming from within. At the moment, there's no leadership within the group."

To a degree, the team's current struggles reflect roster changes outside of the team's control — not just through injuries, but as players have been recalled to various national teams, such as the three players (Chance Myers, Daniel Barrera and Greg Folk) who begin play next week in Brazil for the U.S. team in the Pan American Games.

"We've had a lot of players come and go, for various reasons, be it Pan American Games, or UCSB guys going to South America," said goalkeeper Bryan Hill. "But I think we're learning to just adjust within our own skin. We really need to win our own battles personally, and it will take care of itself, and that's something we're just embracing."

The Fusion won enough of those battles to improve to 6-0 at home, with the help of Farfan's goal and some strong play by Hill, whose afternoon was highlighted by a pair of point-blank stops of San Francisco's Ryan Overdevest.

"It was a long 90 minutes," said Hill. "They obviously needed a win, too, and they threw everything they had at us. But we did well to keep that zero."

Farfan gave the Fusion the lead in the ninth minute, taking a long pass from John Alcaraz and lifting a shot from the left side just inside the right post from about 15 yards out. Farfan's third goal this season was remarkably similar to one by his brother, Michael, in the last Fusion home game, a 2-0 win over San Jose.

"I knew I was going to shoot before I got the ball," he said, "so I made (the defender) think I was going to go to the left, and go to the outside and cross it. But right when I faked, he got caught in his shoes, so I went to the right and just bent it back post."

Farfan, too, knows the team can play better.

"We just need to all be focused," he said, "concentrate on our individual tasks and then our collective tasks, also."

With three games remaining on the team's regular-season schedule —beginning with the team's final road game, Wednesday against Orange County Blue Star at Concordia University — Smith was frank about his apprehensiveness over the team's recent play.

"I'm very concerned, because we've blown the last three away games," said Smith, "absolutely blown them, with no one to blame but ourselves, that's for sure.

"I ultimately take responsibility as head coach, and if I thought I had the players to bring in that would generate (a change), I would. But we don't. We're at the bare bones at the moment. We've got four players away, and that's a lot.

"But the result was good."

After Wednesday's game, the Fusion closes the regular season at home, facing the Southern California Seahorses on Sunday at 3 p.m. and the Los Angeles Storm on July 20.