The Cosumnes River College men’s soccer team advanced to the third round of playoffs on Saturday after a 6-1 win over the Las Positas College Hawks.
CRC took the lead early in the first half with a goal by sophomore forward Myles Reed and continued to gain momentum as the game progressed. With high energy on display and consistent ball control throughout the game, the CRC Hawks were able to secure the win, keeping them in the running for a state title.
“Offense definitely pulled through,” said sophomore goalkeeper Johnnie White. “They were a great opponent, but we broke them down pretty easily and everything flowed exactly how it should’ve.”
The CRC Hawks went into the second half with a 1-0 lead, primarily keeping control of the ball and passing around the LPC defense.
“We started a bit slow, but after our first goal, Myles really set the tone,” said sophomore forward Isaac Sandoval. “We just carried it from there.”
Sandoval scored the second goal of the match for the CRC Hawks within the first two minutes. Freshman midfielder Brandon Gutierrez quickly followed with the third goal of the day with 40 minutes left on the clock.
Defensively, White held his ground in the goal with many blocks and well-executed plays, only giving up one goal to the LPC Hawks.
“Second half, we picked up the speed that we always play and started to simplify everything,” said Assistant Coach Sanaldo Carvalho. “That was the key for us to build the result.”
The LPC Hawk’s offense continued to fall short on scoring opportunities in the second half as CRC applied pressure with their defense.
Sandoval did not let up offensively, scoring three of the seven shots he took in the game, a perfect hat trick.
With a few minutes left on the clock, the struggling LPC Hawks were desperate for a goal, pulling their goalie up to the offense to give them a point opportunity on a corner kick. CRC capitalized on this error, with sophomore middle infielder Jordan Hongphackdy scoring on a wide-open goal after regaining possession of the ball.
This put the score at 6-1 CRC Hawks with only a couple of minutes left on the clock. “We came out with intensity. Last year, we took a hard loss in the playoffs,” Reed said. “So for the returners, it is in the back of our minds to get vengeance for last year and to come out and really put games to bed early.”
The Hawks will continue their playoff journey with a game against the Hartnell College Panthers at Hartnell College on Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.