By Liliana Marquez
The men’s soccer team defeated Pasadena City College last week at Weingart Stadium by a final score of 3-1.
It was the Huskies first win in South Coast Conference play. With Head Coach Eddie Flores back, East Los Angeles College was looking for their first victory after losing their previous match at Mt. San Antonio College, 1-0.
It was a frustrating game as the Huskies had a lot of opportunities to score but were not able to take advantage of them until scoring a goal at the end of the first half.
The game started with a moment of silence in memory of Pasadena City College’s long time Assistant Coach Warren Altounian who died in April from cancer. The game kicked off and ELAC’s first chance came in the 2nd minute with a weak shot off target.
This was followed by a Lancer’s shot that tested the ability of the Huskies’ defense. Dean Ramos was able to deflect the shot and send it off the field.
A throw-in was awarded to the Lancers. During the 5th minute, the Lancers took a shot that hit the post and went off the field without causing troubles to ELAC’s goalkeeper. It was at the eight-minute mark when a foul committed against ELAC’s Salvador Medrano gave Guannan Wang an opportunity to score, but his shot missed the mark.
One minute later, ELAC’s goalkeeper was tested when the Lancers took a shot, which he was able to catch without complication. In the 14th minute, a foul committed on Kevin Gomez gave him the opportunity to open the scoring, but his shot was blocked by the Lancer’s barrier.
At the 16th minute, Pasadena took a shot and Ramos was there to prevent a goal.
During the 20th minute, ELAC had an amazing opportunity to score when Gomez gave a pass to Omar Garcia but the action failed. A corner kick was awarded to the Huskies during the 22nd minute. Kevin Lichtenwalter took the shot, but his teammates were not able to complete the play.
Medrano’s first goal opportunity came during the 24th minute, but his shot was no problem for the Lancers.
It was the 27th minute when Pasadena took a shot, and ELAC’s goalkeeper had a little trouble but was able to stop the ball. Up to that point, the Huskies were controlling the game, having more opportunities to score, and having the space to do it.
Their moves could not be capitalized on and they missed a lot of chances to open the scoring. During the 36th minute, Medrano tried a bicycle kick, but his attempt was frustrated when one of the Lancers blocked the shot.
ELAC’s work on the field paid off when Medrano carried the ball through the wing, centering it and sending it directly to Omar Garcia, who without thinking twice, sent the ball in, scoring a beautiful goal during minute 38.
The Huskies went to halftime leading 1-0. It was clear what the Huskies needed to do for the second half.
They needed to take advantage of the space Pasadena was giving them to add to the score. The second half kicked off with a shot by Javier Campos that passed near the post.
During the 52nd minute, the Huskies made a wonderful counterattack move after recovering the ball for the second time, but their shot went above the post.
It was the 59th minute when ELAC generated a great move, which started with a goal kick followed by a header, but Pasadena’s goalkeeper was there to catch the ball.
Two minutes later, the Lancers were awarded a free kick. Adolfo Larios deflected the shot with a header, sending the ball to a corner kick. At the 70th minute, the Lancers were awarded a throw-in when ELAC sent the ball to a corner.
This was followed by the Huskies stealing the ball and going for counterattack with Lichtenwalter controlling the ball, until one of the Lancers blocked his path.
Seven minutes before the end, the Lancers had an opportunity to tie the score, but the Huskies were attentive and avoided the goal. Garcia wanted to go for the hat trick.
With a pass by Campos generated during a counterattack move, Garcia kicked the ball with his right foot sending it directly into the net, scoring the second goal for the Huskies during minute 83. About one minute later, a free kick was awarded to ELAC.
With perfect execution, Litchtenwalter took the shot, which made its way into the net and gave the Huskies their third goal. Pasadena did not want to go home without scoring.
Seconds before the final whistle, the Lancers were able to score their only goal and left home defeated for the second time in conference. Coach Flores said that the Huskies had a lot of space and chances to score and they were not able to take advantage of them.
Assistant Coach Felipe Bernal said, “Having Coach Flores back was a lot of motivation. We had a little slump, but we talked, worked on offense, and gave a chance to the players who haven’t got a lot of minutes.”
Bernal also added that they should have scored more goals, since the Lancers gave them a lot of space, but he was satisfied with the final score.
Lichtenwalter, who scored with a stunning free kick said, “I feel good. This was my first goal in my college season. I believe we could have scored more goals, but we missed a lot of chances.”
Omar Garcia who scored his third goal in conference play said, “It feels good scoring. We worked as a team. I’m very excited. I was trying to go for the hat trick, but maybe I can achieve that later on.”