The Hawks’ men’s soccer team played a physical and high-contact game against the American River College Beavers on Tuesday, ending in a last-minute draw to hold their standing in second place for the Big 8 Conference.
When the Hawks last met the Beavers at ARC in early October, Cosumnes River College won 3-0. There are three games left in the regular season before the first round of Big 8 Regional Conference games begin on Nov. 20.
“After this draw, I feel like it’s not good enough,” said freshman defensive player Ezekiel Cruz, who scored the tying goal. “We should be coming into every game and try to win every game.”
Cruz said they were in control of the game, but they just couldn’t finish their chances and they’ve got to be better.
Two Hawks players needed to be substituted out in the second half after two separate collisions required the medical training staff to examine each injured player. Cruz said head coach Ron Preble changed their formation in the last 10 minutes.
“Player-wise, I mean, subs, when they come in, they know what to do. Just take care of business,” Cruz said.
Preble said when players go down, it’s a constant shuffle to make the best decisions for the group with who’s available.
“You lose a little bit of rhythm,” Preble said. You lose a little bit of familiarity, but ultimately at the end of the day, they all train together, they all play together, so you expect guys to step up and do the job.”
Preble said it’s now a fight for placement in the regional matchups after losing their spot at the top of the bracket.
Sophomore forward Nathan Beltran said they fought hard and felt like they had the majority of possession during the game. He said they need to find those crucial passes and believes they have the fight in them.
The Hawks have two away games before their final home game of the regular season on Nov. 15 against the San Joaquin Delta College Mustangs. Their record before Friday’s upcoming game against the Folsom Lake Falcons is 9-4-5 overall and 3-2-2 in the Big 8 Conference.
“Our team is always on the push until the final 90 minutes, so we knew not to give up,” Beltran said. “We knew something was coming. It was just, when.”