L.A. Mission College Holds SMC to a 1-1 Tie

Santa Monica Corsair, Victor Tapia (25) (center) runs across the field to the goal against LA Mission Eagles’ during a match held on the Corsair field at Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, Calif. On Friday, October 21, 2016. The Corsair’s tie 1-1. (Yulia Morris)

Having tied with the Oxnard Condors last Tuesday, the Corsair men’s soccer team was eager for a win against the L.A. Mission College Eagles on Friday.

The Corsairs came out strong in the first half with multiple opportunities to take the lead.

With under 8 minutes left in the first half, midfielder Kevin Martinez got a good look at the net, but his shot was refuted by the left post.

The Corsairs didn’t take long as the second half began with a precise cross by Kevin Martinez, which managed to find midfielder Yarden Amira. He fired his shot off and scored the match’s first goal to put SMC in the lead within the first minute of the second half.

“I was just happy that we came out in the second half and got a quick goal. We started attacking them really well and we finally finished one and put one in the net and went up 1-0.” said Amira.

The second half was well fought between both teams with L.A. Mission College getting closer and closer to tying the game. Emotions were high as multiple incidents occurred, as it seemed that a fight might break out.  “It’s normal in soccer to lose your cool and that’s part of the fun but obviously it leads to red cards and direct kicks that are dangerous in our area,” said Assistant Head Coach Matt Herold.

However, the Eagles were not ready to give up and soon mounted a comeback.  With 15 minutes left in the second half they scored their first goal and tied the game.

With the clock winding down, SMC had the opportunity to win the game, when Rincon shot the ball, but was off target.

Without their head coach Tim Pierce on the sidelines due to getting a red card in the previous match, the Corsairs still managed to come away with a 1-1 draw.

“We’re a well united group and we stuck together and our two assistant coaches made a hell of a job making the subs. I felt like we were fine. It’s obviously good when Tim is back we always want to have Tim here but we adjusted.” said Amira.

The Corsairs now look ahead to their next match at Santa Barbara next Tuesday, October 25 at 7:30 p.m.