On the heels of a short two-game stint on the road, the Bear Cubs men’s soccer team looked to earn a victory in their final non-conference game of the year against the San Francisco City College Sept. 19.
From the opening kickoff and throughout the first half, both teams were tactically conservative, spending little time on the attack.
The first half ended quietly, with a total of one shot on goal for both teams.
When the whistle blew for the second half, it was a completely different game.
In the 52nd minute, an impressive move put SFCC in the box with a great chance to net the first goal. But keeper Andrew Tepping sprawled for a diving save on a point-blank attempt from a Ram’s striker, and a failed clearance from a Bear Cub defender gave SFCC another chance. Tepping quickly got to his feet, and came to the other side of the 6-yard box to make a second save.
The Bear Cubs’ defense committed multiple turnovers, while miscommunications led to constant pressure by the Rams. This allowed them to control the tempo of the game for a majority of the second half.
In the 72nd minute, a through ball put the Rams back on the attack and a cracking shot from a forward required an impressive retreating punch save from Tepping.
With 15 minutes remaining in the game, the Bear Cubs found some rhythm on offense. Forward Omar Nuno put a shifty move on a Ram’s defender, putting a curling shot on net, but SFCC’s keeper Emmanuel Jimenez saved it.
SFCC’s defenders thwarted the Bear Cubs’ offense with clinical tackles and clearances in the offensive half of the field.
Of SRJC’s three shots on goal, its best chance came in in the 85th minute. Nuno sent a free kick from 45 yards into the box, and a failed clearance by a Ram’s defender put the ball at Andrew Carlile’s feet at point-blank range. He controlled the ball nicely, but was ultimately unable to net the shot after a diving save from Jimenez.
The game ended in a 0-0 tie, giving the Cubs an overall record of 3-2-2 heading into the regular season. The Bear Cubs’ next game is at 4 p.m. Sept. 23 against American River College in Sacramento.
Sept. 23 marks the beginning of league play for the Bear Cubs, who are looking to build on last year’s campaign that ended in a loss in the third round of the NorCal tournament.