Freshman forwards Kyle Nicklaw and Fernando Ochoa both recorded first-half hat tricks on Tuesday night at La Playa Stadium, leading the Vaqueros to a 6-0 win over East Los Angeles College.
Ochoa was the first to find the back of the net as he took a shot in the 16th minute from the top of the 18-yard box and beat the Huskies goalkeeper to the near post.
“Scoring the first one helped me build up some confidence,” Ochoa said. “Throughout the game, I just stayed in the mindset of scoring goals and putting it in the back of the net.”
The following three goals all came off the right foot of Nicklaw in a span of just under eight minutes. He scored his first two goals of the evening thanks to brilliant passing in the midfield, giving him golden opportunities to beat the keeper in one-on-one situations. The Vaqueros were subsequently awarded a penalty kick after a handball was called against East LA where Nicklaw scored his third goal of the night.
“I was feeling a little frustrated early in the game getting those two offsides and missing that easy one right in front of the box,” Nicklaw said. “But honestly it feels really good to be able to finally start capitalizing for the team.”
41 minutes into the game, Jonas Romero sent a ball through the Huskies defense that Ochoa received in stride and was able to put past the keeper for his second goal of the night. As the first half wound down, City College was awarded another penalty kick, this time on a foul call. Ochoa stepped up and launched the ball into the net to complete his hat trick.
The Vaqueros defense played well, shutting out their opponents for the fourth time this season.
The second half of the game was relatively uneventful as both teams traded possession in the midfield and the occasional shot on goal.
A Vaquero defender was given a yellow card for a tackle at midfield 86 minutes in. The next minute an East LA forward took a shot that hit the crossbar and in the 88th minute back up goalie Gustav Verdouw made a leaping save to help preserve the shutout.
City College started the second half with a handful of substitutes making their first appearance of the night. As the game progressed, Vaquero starters were taken out until all 11 of them had been replaced by reserves.
Both Nicklaw and Ochoa said everyone played well and this win and offensive output will give the team more confidence going into their next game and throughout the season.
City College improves to 4-1-1 on the year and they are back in action this Friday on the road at College of the Canyons. They will make their return to La Playa stadium for a game at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, October 1st against Chaffey.
