Cats hold back Spartans in opener
The Saddleback men’s soccer season started with a 3-1 win over MiraCosta College on Tuesday night inside the stadium. The Bobcats had a 3-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas pedal.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 1 | 1 |
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2 | 1 | 3 |
Team Stats
MiraCosta
| Game Statistics | MiraCosta | Saddleback |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 10 (4) | 8 (4) |
| Saves | 1 | 3 |
| Fouls | 10 | 2 |
| Corner Kicks | 3 | 3 |
| Offsides | 2 | 4 |
The Saddleback men's soccer season started with a 3-1 win over MiraCosta College on Tuesday night inside the stadium. The Bobcats had a 3-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas pedal.
Saddleback opened fast, scoring two goals in the opening frame to take a solid lead into the locker room at the intermission. Gus Roetcisoender opened the scoring when he took a turnover and beat the keeper in the 17th minute for the early lead. The Bobcats made it 2-0 right before the half when Diego de la Riva made good on a penalty kick in the final seconds.
Saddleback added to the lead early in the second half when Alexander Fafilek took a pass from Roetcisoender and beat the keeper from a bad angle into the corner of the net. It gave the Bobcats a 3-0 lead and prompted the coaches to start going to the bench to get some fresh jerseys into the game.
MiraCosta finally answered in the 67th minute when Dominik Wicks beat the Saddleback keeper to narrow the gap to 3-1. The Spartans continued to pressure the Saddleback defense until the Bobcats opted to re-enter some of the starters into the game to protect the lead. Saddleback would hold on to the 3-1 lead to improve to 1-0 on the season.
Saddleback will play again on Friday when it hosts the 2024 state champions from Cuyamaca College. The Bobcats and Coyotes are scheduled to start at 3:00 PM inside the stadium.