By Isaac Ortiz Dominguez
The Rams struggled to find their rhythm and capitalize on opportunities in the first half, before securing a win after a five-game winless streak, beating Ohlone College 2-0.
Their dominance has been lacking on the pitch with a conference record of 3-4-3.
Both teams were playing a bit of kickball, meaning that they were sending long balls in hopes that something would stick in terms of chances created. Defensively, the Rams were strong, mitigating the chances created for Ohlone.
A standout performance from the second goalkeeper, Jonathan Ramirez, who was sharp in stopping really dangerous plays and solid shots from Ohlone. Ultimately, this aided in a decisive win for City College.
“Our starting goalkeeper has been injured, so [Ramirez] had to step in, and it’s been difficult for him, but he’s doing the best he can,” said Coach Adam Lucarelli.
Both teams were having trouble finding their confidence, and much of the first half was a battle in the midfield for control and opportunities.
Late in the first half, Esrom Adhanom went for a header in the box, and upon striking the ball, he collided with the goalkeeper from Ohlone mid-air.
The keeper was shown a yellow card, and a penalty was awarded to City College. Adhanom was subbed out, and Antonin Lesperance took the penalty and scored.
The Rams were starting to get their confidence inside the box moving into the second half, and Sebastian Rivadeneyra scored off an assist from Cristhian Umanzor.
After scoring, the Rams were off the wall; they were hunting for more goals, but a tired, yet motivated Ohlone snuffed out any additional goals from being scored.
“I think Ohlone got a little tired. It didn’t seem like they had a lot of subs, and so they slowed down a little bit. It allowed us to get the upper edge. I think because they were tired and we were able to move the ball around and be a little more efficient and get some more goal-scoring opportunities,” said Lucarelli.
City College has three games left, after a 2-0 win over Foothill College on Thursday, Oct. 30. Their last game of the regular season will be played at home on Tuesday, Nov. 11.