By Juile Santiago
Men’s soccer lost 2-1 in the last minutes of a home game against Los Angeles Harbor College last Friday.
In the first half of the game, there wasn’t much action as both teams remained scoreless. Harbor forward Jose Cuevas opened the score in the 73rd minute of the game on a pass from midfielder Bryan Rodriguez.
“Being from the same district, there is an intense rivalry. Well played from both sides. Our hard work and perseverance helped us win the game,” Harbor assistant coach Jose Hernandez said.
It didn’t take long for East Los Angeles College to respond.
In the 74th minute of the game, Husky sophomore wing Ernesto Rubalcaba scored a header off an aerial pass from the right wing that midfielder Javier Gutierrez sent.
“I just got mad when they were celebrating. When Javi (Gutierrez) did the cross, I saw the ball and it went into the left corner,” said Ernesto Rubalcaba.
ELAC couldn’t count on sophomore defender Jorge Chavez because he received a red card in the previous game against Long Beach City College. His loss left the Huskies short in attack.
Husky players said not having Chavez was a great loss for the team.
“We needed to capitalize on opportunities we had. This was a back-and-forth game. Key player (Chavez) got a red last week, so everyone has to step it up,” ELAC freshman William Alfaro said.
Harbor defender Luis Amezquita scored the team’s winning goal in 89th minute off a pass from teammate Rodriguez. Harbor is now on a two-game winning streak.
The Huskies received three yellow cards throughout the game, which reflects the intensity they played with.
“The soccer god hasn’t been with us. We were concentrated up until the last play,” ELAC sophomore midfielder Alvaro Torres said.
ELAC assistant coach Ricardo Raygoza said that although the team played an overall good game, they weren’t able to carry out important plays and that cost them the game.Husky players showed frustration with the last minute lost.
“We tried to look for the forwards and wingers. That’s what we tried to look for. We made long ball plays. We were very unlucky,” ELAC freshman Adriel Dominguez said.
ELAC lost 3-0 yesterday on the road to Cerritos. The Huskies allowed all three goals within the first 20 minutes of the game. ELAC now stands 2-9-5.