COYOTES SECURE FINAL FOUR TICKET
Rancho San Diego, CA
The Cuyamaca College Men's Soccer team faced off against the SoCal Cinderella team, the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros who knocked out the #2 seed Fullerton College, in an exciting SoCal Regional Round 1 game on the previous Saturday. The visiting team traveled south to face the SoCal #10 seeded Coyotes at home. However, the bell struck midnight for the #15 seed Vaqueros as the final whistle blew in favor of the Cuyamaca squad 2-1.
In front of a crowd of nearly 200+ cheering fans, the Coyotes and Vaqueros did not disappoint the onlookers with amazing athleticism, scoring opportunities and nail-biting goal saves. The stadium atmosphere was perfect for soccer enthusiast whom had gathered to cheer on two of the best teams in the state. The weather was warm with light breezes and the Cuyamaca IT staff provided live video on their stadium scoreboard for an added nice touch.
Both teams entered the day, tired and weary from their previous battles in R1. However, the Vaqueros had to make the long five-hour trip south which added an additional element. However, that didn't matter as the game was an elimination game, winner moves on to the final four, loser… end of season and time to retool for next season.
The Vaqueros came out hot. They controlled the ball from the inception of the game. They continue to dominate possessions through the entire game. Santa Barbara's Junior Leon put the Vaqueros on the board first with a drive to the goal that was masterful. Leon creating a one-to-one opportunity to score against Cuyamaca's goal keeper #00 Pablo Torres. Leon sled the shot pass Torres to find the back of the net in the twentieth minute of the game.
The shot of the match was achieved by Cuyamaca's #15 Diego Garcia with his free kick that rocketed by the SBCC defensive line and curled into the top right corner of the goal. Garcia's goal equalized the score and breathed new life into the Coyotes as they could sense the possibilities yet to come.
Ismael Reyes Pineda teamed with Aaron Ruvalcaba to score what would ultimately be the game clinching score. The two black and blue striped teammate skillfully weaved through the Vaqueros defense and waited for the goalie to show his hand. Aaron waited for the goal keeper to guess which direction, and Aaron took the open opposite shot for a 2-1 Cuyamaca lead and ultimate winning score.
The Coyotes move into the next round of play, SoCal semi-finals set for Saturday November 25th. However, the team will have to wait on the outcome of the #6 Long Beach City College @ #3 Norco College game to be played to determine their next opponent. Game times are tentatively scheduled; If Long Beach wins, Cuyamaca and LBCC will play at LBCC with a 7:00pm start. If Norco wins, Cuyamaca will play at Norco College at 2:00pm.
Go Coyotes!
