Men's soccer season ends with heated tempers

There is an old poem that advises that one not, "go gently into that good night." Apparently someone pushed that message into the heads of the Citrus College Owl's men's soccer team.

At the end of the Owl's 3-2 season ending victory over the Santa Monica College Corsairs, multiple Citrus players began a shoving match during the handshake line.

Corsair players quickly absconded the scene, but Owls players and fans continued to harass photographers on the sideline.

Corsair head coach Tim Pierce was proud of his men's conduct after the final huddle.

"They were getting their bodies out of there and policing the environment pretty well," Pierce said.

Prior to the attempted fisticuffs, the teams played a furious final minute that saw the Corsairs cram all 11 men into the box.

However, the match officials, who left the field immediately after the final whistle, missed a foul on Corsair forward Maurice Morton that would have given the 'Bucs a penalty shot and an opportunity to tie the game.

"It was a clear foul in the box. Maybe he was screened out a bit and the [assistant referee] didn't want to help him out, but again that's the way the season has gone," Pierce said. "We haven't quite gotten the calls, haven't quite gotten the breaks. That's the season in a nutshell."

Thus ended the season long trial of Pierce at the hands of the referees.

On the final night of the season, Pierce put forth a starting 11 comprised of all sophomores

Second string goalkeeper Patrick Acosta played valiantly in the loss, saving the Corsairs' back line multiple times in the second half. Though, Owl defender Dakyer Castillo Villalobos capitalized on a poorly played rebound for Citrus' second goal.

Though the season was not as fruitful as the coaches had hoped at the beginning of the season, Pierce was still proud of his sophomores.

"They're a great group of guys. We maybe didn't have the successes on the field that we were in search of this year, but they came out with a good attitude everyday and worked hard," Pierce said.

Though the Owls defeated SMC twice on the season, a fact they lorded over the Corsairs in the fateful handshake line, Citrus finished the season with a record of 5-7-4, three points below the Corsairs in the Western State Conference table.

The Corsairs closed the 2014 season 6-6-4 in conference play for 22 points and 6-10-5 overall, which puts them out of playoff contention.