Los Angeles City College Men’s soccer team’s long-awaited return to competition

LOS ANGELES - Last Friday, the Los Angeles City College men's soccer team's long-awaited return to competitions was a bittersweet one. The Cubs renascent soccer program with coach Javier Aguiniga Campos at the helm, lost its home opener two goals to one against Golden West of Huntington Beach. The intensity of the game was felt from the first few minutes when the post denied Golden West a goal. The LACC offense struggled during the first half but could have capitalized on what seemed a clear opportunity when midfielder Edver Ayala missed a cross by inches in the air. This allowed Golden West's Goalkeeper to send a long punt on the attack where Defender Juan Felix received a booking after a harsh challenge to stop the counterattack and forcing the coach to take him out of the game to prevent a red card. Golden West capitalized on this mistake as they went up ahead in the scoreboard after a cross from the right side found one of their forwards alone in the box to head the ball in.

For the second half, Coach Aguiniga Campos substituted defender Ryan Couso in and immediately had an impact on the team as he raised the intensity of the match. Two minutes into the second half, a corner kick from the left side taken by Luis Mora struck a Golden West defender attempting to clear the cross and the ball found the back of Golden West's net. The Cubs had scored, and a roar was heard at the field, their first goal in over a decade. The tying goal gave the cubs the confidence they needed and started to dominate the match. But another cross from the right side found an unmarked Golden West player who scored the second and final goal of the match. The Cubs went on the offensive but missed clear chances to equalize. Despite the loss, it was a moral victory for LACC after hosting their first soccer game in over a decade.

By Tupac Zapata