SMC Soccer faces first loss of the season
With ten seconds left on the clock in the second half, the Corsairs looked down in shock and agony as they realized their winning streak had been taken away from them. The Corsairs were defeated by Oxnard ending their undefeated streak. The Corsairs came out strong in the first half having multiple goal attempts but could not register a goal. Both teams played aggressively; however, Oxnard controlled more possession and therefore dictated the pace of the game. The pace was much faster than previous games as both teams created numerous goal attempts until Oxnard scored a goal with eleven minutes left in the first half. They netted what would end up being the lone goal of the game.
“In the first half we came out strong but we gave up a weak goal but we had to move on from it,” goalkeeper Weston Adkins said.
The Corsairs refocused themselves in the second half. There was a clear momentum shift in favor of the Corsairs from the first half to the second half.
“I thought it was a great change from the first half to the second half,” coach Pierce said. “We limited their chances and we figured some things out but we just failed to execute.”
With the momentum shift favoring the Corsairs, they created many scoring opportunities, but they were not able to pull through and find an equalizer. SMC knew it would be hard to comeback from a one goal deficit against a team of Oxnard's caliber.
The Corsairs' goalkeeper, Weston Adkins registered numerous saves to prevent Oxnard from expanding on their lead. The team agreed that it was their small mistakes that stopped them from winning or even drawing the game.
“Small miscommunications were what cost us the game but we learn from that and we learn how to communicate better,” said Corsair midfielder JJ Castillo.
Throughout the second half the team definitely began to adjust to Oxnard’s playing level. The Corsairs had better control of the ball and pushed themselves onto Oxnard’s side. Towards the end of the match with little time left, SMC's JJ Castillo attempted a shot on goal, but it was thwarted by Oxnard goal keeper. The Corsairs tried and tried, but to no avail. Their winning streak faded away as the sound of the final whistle blew.
“We came out a little flat and we didn't adjust to what Oxnard was doing,” said Corsair midfielder Danny Hulbert. “It’s what cost us the game, but we will come out stronger and we will lessen the small mistakes.”
Coach Pierce knew that playing Oxnard was going to be a difficult task. When playing such a dynamic team like Oxnard, the Corsairs will need to be more explosive and attack even stronger.
“We're running out of ideas and it’s difficult for us to create new ones and execute them,” Coach Pierce said.
The Corsairs will face Moorpark tomorrow at Santa Monica College.