Bobcats outduel #10 Lancers
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Pasadena City (3-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Saddleback (2-1) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The Saddleback men's soccer team won its second straight game with a 1-0 victory over Pasadena City College on Tuesday inside the Saddleback stadium. Andrew Jun scored the game-winner at the end of the opening half.
Saddleback entered as a slight underdog with Pasadena City coming into the game ranked No. 10 in the state in the opening California Community College Sports Information Directors Poll while the Bobcats were listed as receiving votes and out of the top-20. Saddleback served notice that they perhaps deserve to be a bit higher in the polls after outplaying PCC for the majority of the game.
Pasadena City had the better of play over the first 20 minutes but came up empty on their opportunities. Saddleback then showed its depth on a day when start-time temperatures were around 100 degrees on the field. The Bobcats continued to substitute players with regularity, while the Lancers seemed to make limited substitutions.
Saddleback had decent opportunities over the final 25 minutes in the opening half and then received the golden egg from the referees when Jason Starcks was taken down inside the box by PCC's Fabian Gomez to give the Bobcats a penalty kick. Saddleback cashed in as Andrew Jun (image below, c/o Richard Quinton) beat keeper Axel Espinosa with a shot under the crossbar for a 1-0 advantage heading into the locker room.
Saddleback controlled play for a large portion of the second half before PCC made a final rally in attempt to tie the game. Bobcat keeper Dominic DiFrenna kept the lancers off the board, making a diving save when Pasadena City was awarded a free kick from outside the box in the final five minutes. DiFrenna would finish with two saves on the day to improve to 2-1 on the season.
Saddleback outshot Pasadena City 12-6 for the game, including a 5-2 advantage in shots on goal.
Saddleback will have the rest of the week off before hosting San Diego City College next Tuesday. The Bobcats and Knights are scheduled to kick off at 5:00 PM inside the stadium.
