Rams Men’s Soccer Edges Las Positas 2-0; Continue Quest for State Conference Title

By Xela Vargas

 

City College’s men’s soccer team continued on its winning ways with a 2-0 win against Las Positas on Oct. 28 at home.

The win was the fifth in their last six games for the 14th nationally-ranked Rams.

With excellent team communication and teamwork the Rams played a strong first half. Oliver Cortes Guillen (#31), with an assist from Sergio Laguna (#11) scored the Rams first goal. With time running out in the

half, the Rams scored again when Georgi Stoyanov (#7) drilled a shot past the Las Positas goalie for the final goal of the game. Laguna assisted on the play.

After the first half, the energy seemed to shift. There was growing tension between the referees and Las Positas after one of their players picked-up a yellow card for arguing with the ref.

The Rams also struggled to shoot the ball generating some frustration in the stands. At one point the Las Positas goalie came out of his post, leaving the goal unattended, but the Rams could not take advantage of the opportunity.

Although the Rams seemed to lose their footing in the second half, defensively remained strong.

For the fourth game this season Rams Goalkeeper Fernando Escovedo (#0) has prevented a team from scoring a single goal in a game.

Laguna was the game’s standout player with a key role in the Rams’ two goals.

Coach Adam Lucarelli spoke of Laguna’s improvement saying he makes the adjustments, and “improves every time.”

Coach Lucarelli said he had come into the game “confident, knowing the team has been on a roll. This is a game we were supposed to win.”

Coach Lucarelli was aware of the shift in the game saying, “we played the first half well, but got sloppy in the second half, allowing Las Positas to get in the game more.”

Next game, Lucarelli hopes to improve the team’s patience with the ball and communication so that the team can better work together and “stick to the game plan.”

When asked about the teams’ playoff chances, Coach Lucarelli said, “I feel we’re in a good position, with three conference games left and our current record.”

With the win, the Rams continued their run on top of the Coast Conference North Division standings at 6-2-1. The nearest competitor is Evergreen Valley College at 5-2-2 with just three games remaining. Rams are now 11-3-1 overall.

The next game is Nov. 8 at 4 p.m. at Ohlone College.