Sporadic rains didn’t deter the Santa Rosa Junior College men’s soccer team from earning a playoff spot, with a 3-2 win over Modesto College Nov. 11 at Cook’s Cypher Field.
SRJC knew going into this game it was a win-or-go-home situation.
“Guys get in and the nerves start to get going,” said assistant coach Matt Barbetz. “You have to read the situation and react.”
The game started with all momentum going towards Modesto, with the first goal in the seventh minute. Later in the first half, Modesto scored again in the 37th minute, making it 2-0.
“We came into the first half playing really tight,” Barbetz said. “Once we got to halftime we were able to talk to the boys and start making adjustments. We wanted to come out playing a lot more loose in the second half.”
The Bear Cubs came out a different team the second half, scoring two minutes in. Freshman Ian Sanders found the ball inside the box and closed the gap with the early goal.
“The message was clear at halftime. It was a reality check,” Barbetz said. “The biggest adjustments we made were putting Sanders and Purewal in.”
Three minutes later, freshman Adrian Garcia found a goal off an assist from freshman Owen McCabe.
The Bear Cubs had scored two unanswered goals in the first six minutes of the half.
Just seconds later, Modesto sophomore Jesus Velazquez stole the ball and made SRJC pay with a ridiculous left-footed goal from 30-yards-away, making it 3-2 SRJC.
The Bear Cubs next game is still to be determined. The first round of the playoffs will begin Nov. 18.
