This is the second time the Santa Monica College Men’s Soccer team (7-3-3) and the Oxnard Condors (8-2-2) have met and the game seems to have gotten personal in a 0-0 tie that resulted in eleven yellow and two red cards distributed between the two teams on the Corsair Field Friday afternoon Oct. 12.
Santa Monica College Soccer Head Coach Tim Pierce was happy with his team’s ability to come away with a draw against the number one team in the Western State Conference regardless of the penalties in the game.
“Whenever you play a very good team and get a positive result in which we didn’t lose playing the first place team,” said Pierce. “I think that anytime you can have a defensive performance when you shut the other team out you could always build off of that.”
The intensity started off early the game when Estanilo Arevalo of the Condors was kicked in the nose by freshman midfielder Luis Fuentes of the Corsairs and Christian Marcial of the Corsairs was given his first yellow card for complaining to the referee about the call.
In the 37th minute, Condors Forward Travis Bowen received his second yellow card of the game for a direct hit to Corsairs Alessandro Canale and the Condors were down to ten men.
Pierce tried to take advantage of the situation by creating plays to attack offensively.
“They were playing down a man and we took advantage of that and knew we would have more of the ball if we were playing up a man,” said Pierce. “We generated a lot of attacks playing with one man up.”
Freshman forward Rafeal Silva of the Corsairs had an opportunity to put the Corsairs up in the 70th minute as he attempted a shot from the right but was off target.
One direct red card was then given to midfielder Max Madrigal of the Condors for foul conduct by pushing Corsairs defender Jose Lopez to the ground soon after.
With the red card given to Madrigal, the Condors were down to nine men.
The final play of the game came in the 87th minute when Lopez of the Corsairs fouled freshman midfielder Julio Lopez and the Condors were given a free kick.
Freshman forward Rene Magana of the Condors took the kick and Corsairs goalkeeper Danny Medina was there to make the save.
“Danny Medina has played outstanding in the last two games with two shut-outs in a row and he’s our back-up goalie to start the season,” said Pierce. “With our starting goalie going down eight games into the season, he’s stepped in and has done very well for us.”
In total, the Corsairs were given five yellow cards including two given to midfielder Marcial that resulted in a red card and him being sent off the field in the second half.
“I think the game was out there for the taking,” said Pierce. “That is the first place team and it is a very good team. A tie is a good result and they’ve only had two ties and they were both against us so somehow we match-up decently well against this team.”
The Condors are currently undefeated in the Western State Conference and hold the top spot in the region with the second time these two teams have met and both games resulting in draws.
The next game for the SMC Corsair’s Men’s soccer team will be at home against Moorpark Tuesday at 3 p.m.
