Rams Fall at Home Against Cabrillo; Suffer Second Loss of Young Season

By Gracia Hernandez Rovelo

 

Following a return to the game after a year’s layoff due to the pandemic and a four-game winning streak, the men’s Rams soccer team suffered their second loss of the young season on Sept. 27 with a 5-1 defeat to the Cabrillo Seahawks on the City College Soccer Stadium.

The game itself was the first to open the Coast Conference season.

Initially the Rams dominated Cabrillo with a formation of 4-3-3, advancing multiple times to the goal area within six to seven average complete passes. In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Rams dominated ball possession. Following a throw-in that caused both teams to scramble for the ball, Raymond Langford (20), with assists from Tito Andrade Aris (8) and Adrian Vasquez (3), kicked a rebound and scored the first and only Rams goal of the day at the 15-minute mark. 

After the Rams scoring drive, the game seemed a bit slower, but much more intense. In the 31st minute Cabrillo was awarded a penalty kick which they converted for a 1-1 tie. Shortly thereafter, Rams’ defensive line lost control of the ball and Cabrillo easily turned it into a 2-1 score at minute 35.

In the 59th minute of the second half, Cabrillo staged an aggressive drive leading to a third score and making any Rams’ comeback attempt steeper. 

“The first goal shocked us,” said Rams key defensive player Adrian Vasquez (3). 

In minute 69, Cabrillo scored their fourth goal with a penalty kick followed by a fifth game-ending goal in the 88th minute.

Rams Head Coach Adam Lucarelli described the game saying, “it was a perfect storm where we made a lot of mistakes in the same game that we don’t typically make, but we’ll bounce back.”

With the loss, the Rams are now 5-2 for the season.

The Rams’ next opponent is Evergreen Valley College at Evergreen on Tuesday, Oct. 4, at 1:30 p.m., followed by Skyline College at City College, on Friday, Oct. 7, at 4 p.m.