Corsairs Draw 3-3 with Norco College
The Santa Monica College men’s soccer team tied 3-3 against Norco College on Friday after the Mustangs scored the equalizer from the penalty spot in the second half. The equalizer ended the Corsairs’ comeback.
When asked about his mentality for the game, head coach Tim Pierce mentioned how important focus is when you have a home advantage. Pierce said his mindset is “to stay focused and put a complete performance together. Well we're at home, take care of business at home.”
At the start of the game, the Corsairs had to refocus after an early mistake from midfielder Zach Shayne. He tried to head the ball to the keeper but fell short, and the Mustangs capitalized on the opportunity with a lobbed goal over the keeper to make the score 1-0 in the fourth minute.
Four minutes later, two Corsair players pushed up to mark Alfredo Valencia, leaving a gap in the defense for the Mustangs to get their second scoring opportunity. Shayne made a crucial tackle to keep the team in the game. Defender Daniel Soiza said, ”We need to communicate, to see which player comes out and which one comes in to mark the man.”
Both teams had multiple opportunities to score before the Corsairs tied it up. Forward Miguel Cano scored a goal between the Mustangs goalie’s legs at the 23rd-minute mark.
In the 36th minute, Cano gave the Corsairs the lead with a bicycle kick, scoring his second goal of the game.
In the last 10 minutes of the first half, both teams were frustrated with the lack of calls, bookings and fouls they believed were not fouls. Corsair defender Melvin Santa Cruz was given a yellow card for kicking the ball away after the referee called a foul on the Mustangs.
The second half kicked off with the Corsairs having two scoring chances in the first five minutes. Around the 49th minute, Corsair midfielder Angel Diaz had a shot go off target.
The Corsairs received two yellow cards, while the Mustangs received four yellow cards and one red card in total.
Throughout the second half, the Corsairs led the match 2-1 until the 60th minute when Mustangs forward Sergio Briseno equalized with a header from a cross, making the score 2-2. Two minutes later, the Corsairs responded with a shot into the top-left corner by midfielder Leo Blanchet.
While the Corsairs were leading, Diaz committed a foul in the box and the referee awarded the Mustangs a penalty kick. Mustangs forward Fabian Barajas converted the penalty, giving the Mustangs the equalizer. “I guess it was a fair penalty, but we had a similar play happen to us, that should have been a penalty for us,” Soiza said.
In the last 15 minutes of the second half, the teams got into an altercation. Mustangs midfielder Jaxon Killeen committed a foul near the ankle, resulting in the referee giving him a red card. The teams argued with one another, causing them both to get a yellow card.
With the referee deciding not to add stoppage time, the match ended in a draw. After the match, goalkeeper Matthew Oquendo said, “We need to improve our attitude and character. We are really young, but throughout the season, we’ll definitely mature, and we’ll be able to fix it.”
“We gave up three goals. You don’t deserve to win a game that you would give up three goals,” Pierce said.