Corsairs Keep Renegades in Drought
Danilo Perez | Staff Photographer & Writer
SMC men’s soccer increased Bakersfield’s losing streak.
Santa Monica College Corsairs men’s soccer faced off against the Renegades from Bakersfield College on Tuesday at Corsair Field. The Corsairs took home a frustrating win with a final score of 3-0, leaving the Renegades on a three-game losing streak.
Despite the Corsairs maintaining a majority of possessions, they were stymied by frequent calls made by the referees. Corsair forward Philip Hephzibah almost got the lead for the Corsairs early on, after chipping the ball over Renegade goalie Hairo Rodriguez, who left the goal empty, but ultimately Hephzibah was declared offsides.
The first half of the match was a strong defensive game from both sides, which remained scoreless for 40 minutes until a penalty kick was awarded to the Corsairs. Corsair captain Roey Kivity stepped up to take his penalty shot, which gave them the lead 1-0 before the end of the first half.
Defensively, both Corsairs and Renegades prevented each other from scoring for the first 15 minutes of the second half. Then, in the 60th minute, forward Denilson Garcia scored another goal for the Corsairs to give them the lead 2-0.
Towards the end of the match, the Corsairs won another penalty, which saw Hephzibah, the leading goal-scorer in the Western State Conference, step up to take the goal. He gave the Corsairs a three-to-nothing lead, as well as increasing his overall to 11 goals in 10 games. The match ended 3-0, leaving Bakersfield College on a three-game losing streak.
