Rams Show Heart, Despite Ending Conference with a 1-0 loss
City College lost 1-0 to Evergreen Valley College on their home turf. Evergreen Valley College has been on an undeniable conference run of 9-2-2, and it showed on the pitch.
By Isaac Ortiz Dominguez
City College lost 1-0 to Evergreen Valley College on their home turf. Evergreen Valley College has been on an undeniable conference run of 9-2-2, and it showed on the pitch. Even with a healthy turnout from City College supporters, they were not able to create the necessary magic to beat a better team.
The goal was scored in minute 55 off an error inside the box from the City College side.
“You know, their record speaks for itself, and our record stands for ourselves. You know, they're a better team than us. But I felt that we played to their level. And I thought we could have got a result today,” said Coach Adam Lucarelli.
From the first whistle, Evergreen Valley College immediately goes on the assault, with a touch-and-go approach, playing short passes and inching their way into the box. With a strong defensive side from City College, they prevented numerous opportunities from becoming goals.
City College played a much longer game, from goal kicks to the midfield, and a lot of aerial battles for possession. Evergreen Valley College went on to control that side of the game, and so they spent a lot of the first half on the City College side of the pitch.
They were hanging by a thread most of the game, playing with heart and determination, though it was not enough to claim a win over Evergreen Valley College. Without a doubt, the Rams were still in the game and could have easily turned it around at any moment.
This has been their struggle throughout the season: not producing enough goals. Their defense has been decent, but defense alone can't win games.
“Opportunities that we do create, we've got to knock them in and and as you know, today was a result that we had some good opportunities, the balls coming off, but we just couldn't score goals. We need to score goals. We need to have that urgency around the box. And I think that's the biggest thing,” Lucarelli said.
In Lucarelli fashion, he made certain adjustments to keep City College in the game against a stronger team. In the second half, they weren't playing as long, keeping the ball close to them. City College was doing a better job of transitioning from defense to midfield and finally to attack.
The attack just came short of turning the game around; they had at least three moments where they had Evergreen Valley College in tremendous danger. They seemed determined to make something of those opportunities, but in the end, they couldn't get the ball behind the net.
It goes without saying that the referee can change the dynamics of a game; one bad call ends a game, or a call not given leaves seeds of doubt about whether the outcome of the game could have been different.
The referee was giving out fouls to Evergreen Valley College left and right. Foul after foul, disrupting the rhythm of a City College team that was still in the game. With a handful of yellow cards being handed out to the City College side.
The referee wasn't incredibly biased, as Evergreen Valley College was shown a few yellow cards, and fouls were given to City College, just not to the degree that Evergreen Valley College was awarded.
In the latter portion of the second half, City College was awarded a free kick around the 20-yard line. The Rams sent a cross to the box, and as it happens, a City College player is shoved to the ground without the ball, and it easily could have been a penalty.
Players and supporters were upset that no call was made, as it could have changed the game's outcome.
“Yeah, I think, unfortunately, there could have been a call, and I think we could have evened the score,” Lucarelli said. “When they did score, I thought there was a foul that they didn't call. But, you know, I always say the referees are an integral part of the game, and if they miss a call here and there, when it's a game that's this close, there's going to be a result like this. I thought our guys played very well, and I felt like we, I don't want to say cheated, but I felt like we could have got a call to even out the game.”
City College will still be afforded a chance at the playoffs, though its opponent will not be announced for another week.
