The City College Vaqueros managed to defeat the division leading Oxnard Condors 2-1 in a game plagued with yellow cards on Tuesday night at La Playa Stadium.
City College started the offensive attack early with a goal from sophomore midfielder Aaron Aaberg in the ninth minute. For the rest of the first half both teams played exceptional defense, preventing any goals. In minute 41 the Condors came close to a goal but shot just wide of the post. In minute 52 Vaquero freshman goalie Zac Gottlieb made a great save to keep the score 1-0.
Immediately after the save, Vaquero sophomore midfielder Kebba Nyang made a few great moves to weave between three defenders and scoring the Vaqueros second goal of the game in minute 53 to bring the score to 2-0.
“I just saw an opening between the defenders,” Nyang said. “I just smashed it in.”
The shut out lasted until minute 62 when Condor midfielder Gustavo Navarro made a shot that got by Gottlieb to bring the score to 2-1. In minute 83 the Condors came very close to tying the game when midfielder Fernando Hernandez Puga made a shot on the goal, but a diving one handed deflection by Gottlieb saved the goal.
“We worked hard tonight and defended well,” said head coach John Sisterson. “Zac made a great save at the end.”
The second half was very physical and plagued with yellow cards. Five were given between minutes 66 and 77. Four of them went to Oxnard players while one went to a Vaquero. At one point, frustration was starting to show when an Oxnard player kicked the ball 30 yards down field during game stoppage after being called for a penalty. There were a total of seven yellow cards handed out.
The Vaqueros were out shot by the Condors 16-7. However nearly half of the Vaquero shots were on the goal. Gottlieb had three saves on the day and the Condor goalie had only one save. The Vaqueros also had a disadvantage with only two corner kicks while the Condors had five.
With this win, the Vaqueros improve their record to 3-2-6 and move to fifth place in the division. The Condors still remain in first place in the division but record their second loss of the season and stand at 9-2-1. City College is ranked number 22 in the state after Tuesday night’s game. The Vaqueros are still on the hunt for the playoffs, which start Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015.
“I think the boys have played well,” Sisterson said. “The record doesn’t reflect how well they’ve played.”
The Vaqueros will host sixth place Glendale College at 2 pm on Friday, Oct. 30 at La Playa Stadium. Glendale has a record of 3-4-4 and beat City Colleges 2-0 in their last meeting.
