San Marcos responded well after allowing an early goal and defeated Pacifica, 2-1, in a Channel League boys soccer game on Thursday.
The Royals improved to 6-0 in league and 8-1-2 overall.
Justin Hess scored the equalizing goal 20 minutes after Pacifica’s opener. The play started with a long free kick from sophomore Luis Botello that Tully Knoles skipped on for Hess, who finished at the far post.
Hess later suffered a facial injury while clearing a ball with his head. He was struck in the face from a high boot of a Pacifica player who was trying to win the ball late in the first half.
San Marcos coach Paul McLean argued that a red card should have issued on the play. He said the Pacifica player was ejected in the last 10 minutes of the game for a second yellow card.
San Marcos came out strong in the second half “and played with more composure, connecting passes all over,” said McLean.
The Royals scored the go-ahead goal on a nice sequence. Left back Leo Vico played Luke Sheffey down the left side, and Sheffey beat two defenders before crossing the ball to Jose Ramirez. Ramirez scored on a header.
San Marcos defended multiple Pacifica set pieces in the second half to see out the game.
“Pacifica has a strong front line that was a handful for our backline,” said McLean. “We had a few things go against our team tonight and we were really pleased as coaches to see how our boys responded. Our composure improved and our movement became even better.
“Jose Ramirez was the man of the match for us. He was absolutely dominant in the midfield and then came through with a excellent goal.
“The backline of Steve Bradley, Justin Hess, Leo Vico and Easton Rose defended well all night. Steve won several one on one battles for us.”
The Royals are scheduled to play Oxnard at home on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Oxnard 3, Santa Barbara 1
Carver Jensen scored the lone goal for the Dons in the Channel League loss.
Dos Pueblos 2, Ventura 0
Senior goalkeeper Bryce Hemman recorded the Channel League shutout, and the Chargers got goals from Matt Sillers and Tiago Rodriguez.
“Hemman made some real physical saves both in the air and coming out strong off his line to the top of the box,” said coach Matt York.
Sillers provided the finishing touch after a long ball from Mateo Robles went off the cross bar in the second minute.
Rodriguez finished a nice run from near the midline. He pushed the ball wide and curled a shot into the net from and extreme angle.
“I thought he couldn’t make it and curled it beautifully around the goalkeeper and in,” said York. “He made it look easy tonight.”
York praised the play of Noah Severson off the bench.
“Noah plays sparingly in our games, but is a huge force for us as a team, leader, and glue guy,” said the coach.
DP is 2-5-1 in league and 2-9-1 overall.
Cate 3, St. Bonaventure 1
The Rams moved their home game to San Marcos due to a waterlogged pitch and beat the Seraphs in overtime in a Tri-Valley League match.
Sophomore center back Samuel Arum scored in the 25th minute, poking in a loose ball in the 6-yard box.
The score remained 1-0 until the final minute when St. Bonaventure hit a long ball into the box and scored the equalizing goal.
Cate reclaimed the lead in the first minute of overtime. Jae Lim sent a cross from the right side and Max Moore finished with a header into the upper left corner for the go-ahead goal.
Two minutes later, Suhuyini Abdul Nafeo took a pass from Thomas Paige and calmly tucked the ball past a charging St. Bonaventure goalkeeper.
“We did an excellent job of possessing, passing, and defending but we still need to learn balance and consistency,” said Cate coach Jorge Reynoso. “We have a very young team that has lots of individual talent and we are still in the process of learning to play as a team.”
Carpinteria 2, Malibu 0
The Warriors dominated play on a muddy home field and beat Malibu in a Citrus Coast League game.
Carpinteria created several chances before finding the back of the net in the 50th minute. Paul Reyes fed Angel Zepeda for the finish.
Ricardo Rodriguez set up Ulises Segura with a through ball for the second goal.
“I felt like this was a great win for us to help the boys get motivated for our next games after a couples loses on the road last week,” said coach Gerardo Rodriguez. “The boys fought hard today and got a well deserved win.”
GIRLS
Leilani Venegas scored the game-winning goal for San Marcos in a 2-1 victory over Pacifica in a Channel League match.
Caitlin Sparks hit a corner kick that landed in front of Venegas for a tap-in goal.
The Royals defended well against Pacifica’s push to get an equalizer.
San Marcos battle back from a 1-0 deficit and scored the tying goal in the 55th minute. Venegas crossed the ball in on from a set piece and Kaci Schapansky got her foot on it during a scramble and scored the equalizer.
“I’m really proud of the fight in the girls tonight,” said coach Brian “Ziggy” Ziegenhagen. “It wasn’t our best game but they responded like champions and it was a well deserved result.”
Carpinteria 5, Malibu 1
Sophia Mora scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the Warriors to the Citrus Coast League win at Malibu.
Carpinteria’s first goal was an own goal as a Malibu defender deflected Ashly Verduzco’s shot into the net.
Mora played a ball to freshman forward Evelyn Lara for the second goal in the first half.
Verduzco made it 3-0 in the 56th minute. She cut around a defender before beating the goalkeeper with a shot to the far post.
After Malibu got on the board, Mora finished the game for the Warriors with a pair of goals. She floated a long-distance shot past the goalkeeper in the 61st minute and scored on a free kick three minutes later.
“I was very happy with how the girls were able to find their rhythm and execute our tactics with very limited training due to the wet weather,” said coach Freddy Martinez.
Carpinteria is now 4-5-1 overall and 2-2 in the league.
Ventura 1, Dos Pueblos 0
The Chargers conceded a goal with two minutes left in the match against the Channel League leaders.
“It was a physical, fast-paced game for 80 minutes,” said DP coach Marco Medina. “We worked relentlessly on defense and created a handful of scoring opportunities in the attacking third. We are getting close to playing a complete game. The players were clearly disappointed in the result.”
Dos Pueblos falls to 1-3-3 in league and 3-5-3 overall.
Laguna Blanca 3, Beacon Hill Classical 2
The Owls rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit to win the non-league game in overtime in Camarillo.
Emma Schubert scored the tying goal and Paloma Lujan tallied the game winner in the second five-minute overtime.
Jacqueline Richardson scored the first goal for the Owls.
With his regular goalkeepers sidelined, Laguna coach Jose Rodriguez rotated players in the goal, using Natalie Bianchi, Jenna Johnson and Regina Lujan.