Corsairs Shoot Santiago Canyon Hawks Out of the Sky

In the Beautiful Game, some fixtures are just matches made in heaven.

Such was the case for the SMC Men’s Soccer this Tuesday as they blew-out the Santiago Canyon Hawks 4-1, making their record 5-2-3 on the table. Having won their last two games, the Corsairs rode this momentum into their third straight victory.

After kickoff, the Corsairs came out playing determined to grab this W. As the two squads battled in the first half, the Hawks showed that this game would be much harder for the Corsairs to take home.

As things started to looked stagnant — with no goals in the first 20 minutes -- the Corsairs went on a break for the net. Pass after pass found their man while the Corsairs gained momentum until the 23rd minute, when midfielder Danny Hernandez went straight up the middle passing through multiple defenders and enabling himself to get a clean shot and finish in front of the net, giving the Corsairs a 1-0 lead.

“Making the first shot was a great feeling because we had the lead and it just pumped up the team," Hernandez said. “My goal changed the whole game, so I knew it was an important factor in playing the rest of the game.”

Shortly after the first goal, defender Adam Ek was fouled hard in the box and was awarded a penalty kick. The crowd went silent and Ek mentally prepared for his PK . Ek's shot slipped the goalkeeper and the Corsairs took command of the game with a 2-0 lead..

“I had the opportunity to create a bigger lead so I knew I had to take advantage of it,” Ek said. “These are the things that I work on all the time to ensure I can do my job once I get into a situation like that.”

To end an already dominating first half, defender Matteo Petrov was able to weave his way through the defenders and find his mark to give the Corsairs a 3-0 lead. With the first half ending, it would take an act of the Soccer Gods to save this game for the Hawks.

As the second half started, it seemed the Soccer Gods could have been hearing those prayers. The Hawks were able to get multiple shots on target, but luckily goalkeeper Paul Mahktin was able to deflect them.

However, at the 55th minute the Corsair defense seemed to crumble as the Hawks were able to get off a strong shot and bring the game to 3-1. With plenty of time left, it seemed like the momentum of the game was beginning to change.

Throughout the second half, the Corsairs’ stingy defense was able to keep the game at their pace and deny any opportunity the Hawks had. Nearing the 90 minute mark, forward Victor Tapia was able to clear space and find the back of the net giving the Corsairs their fourth goal and their 4-1 finish against Santiago Canyon.

“Getting three goals in the first half of a soccer game really puts you in a good position,” Coach Tim Piece said reflecting on their win. “I could see that the guys were really feeling the game at the end of the first half, but I needed to remind them to finish the game strong and continue to play harder.”

“It was a great game for us, but something we need to work on is defending one-on-one in the wide area,” Pierce said. ‘Many other teams have scored on us in similar situations, so it is something we are looking to improve on through each practice.”

The Corsairs take on the Victor Valley College Desert Rams in their house on October 4th at 3pm.