It was a milestone moment at La Playa Stadium Tuesday night as men’s soccer head coach John Sisterson picked up win No. 100 after a hat trick performance from Sophomore Forward Mehdi Badache.
Badache’s go-ahead goal in the seventy-fifth minute propelled the Vaqueros (4-7) to a 4-3 victory against the Citrus College Owls (2-6-2).
Sisterson said he wouldn’t have wanted to achieve the feat anywhere else but home.
“It’s a great place to have my one-hundreth win,” said Sisterson. “It’s a great school. I’m proud of the school and the players for helping me get there.”
Citrus scored the first goal of the game after a City College miscue allowed Owl Midfielder Edgar Diaz an easy shot from point blank range. Badache answered one minute later, deflecting a cross in the ninth minute from Napoleon Bergestrom(No.21).
Citrus Midfielder Takuro Kawashima capitalized on a free kick opportunity in the twenty-sixth minute, firing a 21-yard strike into the corner of the net to put Citrus up 2-1.
Badache would tie the score once again in the thirty-second minute, sneaking past defenders to tap home a 50-yard free kick from Freshman Defender Albi Skendi (No.14). Heading into the break, the schools were at a 2-2 deadlock.
City College took its first lead of the game in the forty-ninth minute courtesy of a 34-yard blast from Freshman Midfielder Jonathan Mora (No.30).
Citrus forward Paymon Minaie executed a slick back heel shot off of a corner kick from teammate Adrian Pascual in the fifty-first minute to even the score at three apiece.
But Badache and the Vaqueros would not allow Coach Sisterson to be denied his one-hundredth win. In the seventy-fifth minute, Badache was in front of the net when a shot by sophomore forward Omar Montalvo (No.11) was deflected by a Citrus player. The 6-foot-6 Tunisian player booted the ricochet over the keeper for the game-winning goal.
“I don’t care about the hat trick,” Badache said. “All that matter is that we won, and coach got his one-hundredth win.”
It was the first time Badache has ever scored three goals in a game, earning himself the elusive statistic. He has scored five goals in the past three games.
“You know I forgot all about it,” Sisterson said of his milestone. “Mehdi reminded me… He came over and gave me a big kiss and told me…he got me the one-hundreth win.”
City College plays their next game at 1 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 10 at Santa Monica College.
