Cats swat the Hornets
The Saddleback men’s soccer team defeated Fullerton College, 2-1 on Tuesday afternoon inside the stadium. It was the first win over Fullerton in program history.
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Team Stats
Fullerton
| Game Statistics | Fullerton | Saddleback |
|---|---|---|
| Shots (on goal) | 13 (10) | 14 (10) |
| Saves | 7 | 8 |
| Fouls | 9 | 6 |
| Corner Kicks | 4 | 5 |
| Offsides | 1 | 2 |
The Saddleback men's soccer team defeated Fullerton College, 2-1 on Tuesday afternoon inside the stadium. It was the first win over Fullerton in program history.
Saddleback had easily its best performance of the season, taking on a Fullerton squad that has been a regular fixture in the playoffs in recent years. The Bobcats started slowly but came on strong in the second half in winning for the first time in five tries against the Hornets since Saddleback added men's soccer three years ago.
Fullerton took the lead in the 17th minute when Evan Courtney beat Saddleback keeper Cam Caveney for a goal to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead. It was part of a first half where Fullerton controlled play for the first 25 minutes.
Saddleback then found its stride, scoring in the 33rd minute when Jefreyn Contreras took a pass from Diego de la Riva and beat the Hornet keeper to tie the game at 1-1. The Bobcats had the better of play down the stretch, but Fullerton still held a 7-4 advantage in total shots for the half.
Saddleback came out of the locker room hot and started to take the play to Fullerton. The bobcats peppered the Hornet goalkeeper but couldn't manage to break the ice. Finally, Contreras had a breakaway was taken down inside the box by the goalkeeper, thus giving the Bobcats a penalty kick in the 87th minute. Diego de la Riva made good on the chance, beating the goalkeeper to the left side of the net as Saddleback took a 2-1 lead late in the game.
Saddleback had to hold on with Fullerton pressuring in the final minutes. The Bobcats got a great play from Liam Yagiz, who stopped a point blank shot attempt from Fullerton's Andrew Arreola in the final minute of play to secure the win.
Saddleback finished with a 14-13 advantage in total shots, outshooting the Hornets 10-6 in the final 45 minutes.
Saddleback has now won two straight games and is 3-7-1 overall and 2-3 in Orange Empire Conference play. The Bobcats will try to keep the sudden hot streak alive on Friday when they travel to Santa Ana College. Saddleback and Santa Ana are scheduled to start at 2:00 PM in Santa Ana.