CYPRESS, CA – The Cypress College men's soccer team (9-2-5, 1-2-4 OEC) fought hard to come out on top against the Santiago Canyon Hawks (4-14-1, 1-8 OEC) at home on Friday, 2-1.
Hawks forward, Enrique Reynoso, got his team going early with a shot just outside the box to clear under the crossbar in the 19th minute. Setting the tone for the match, the Hawks held the momentum for the remainder of the half with four clutch saves on Charger attempts to hang on to a 1-0 lead.
Cypress' offense had multiple attempts against Santiago's goalkeeper, Lucas Clarida, in the first eight minutes of second half action. In the 53rd minute Chargers' team captain, Nomar Ibarra, got fouled about 25 yards out from the goal to earn a free kick for his team. Ibarra cleanly put the ball in the back of the net past Clarida to tie the match up, 1-1.
The Chargers regained momentum on their home field, dominating possession after the equalizer. Ibarra took another shot from the top of the box when it was blocked by Clarida. Cypress freshman, Justin Alarcon, followed up with a goal of his own to give his team the 2-1 lead. The Hawks did not go down easy as they attempted several more shots at Cypress' goalkeeper, Leonardo Mondragon, who kept their defense strong for the remainder of the match.
The Cypress men's soccer team will continue conference play next Tuesday, November 5th at Santa Ana starting play at 3:00 pm.
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