The Bear Cubs men’s soccer team took a 1-1 draw after a contentious ending at home against the Folsom Lake College Falcons Oct. 11.
In a controversial moment, referees gave SRJC players Angel Barajas and Victor Vargas yellow cards in the 75th minute because they asked the referee to move Folsom Lake’s line on a free kick. Barajas and Vargas felt Folsom Lake’s players weren’t in a legal position.
The referee also called an SRJC corner a throw-in, much to the dismay of the players and fans.
This all boiled down to the 90th minute, when opposing midfielder Drew Swenson scored an equalizing strike outside of the box off of a corner kick, the visiting bench celebrated loudly, and the Bear Cubs looked defeated. The game ended four minutes later.
The Bear Cubs defense was impressive, with George Binda and Gabriel Tucker putting in quite the shifts at starting center backs. Goalkeeper Emanuel Padilla was also solid throughout the entirety of the game.
The first half was evenly-matched. Forwards Johan Martinez and Matt Nielson put some really impressive shots on target in the first half, and the team was doing well mounting pressure and using set pieces. Despite their efforts, the end of the first half saw the score at 0-0.
The 58th minute held the first and only goal for Santa Rosa, as midfielder Alan Sanchez scored a volley inside the box off an assist from a great Billy Rodriguez overhead ball.
Sanchez celebrated the breakthrough by shushing the opposing defender, and this continued throughout the game.
The match was scrappy from the start, as the two teams got into a decent amount of altercations. Referees gave both teams yellow cards during the second half.
After conceding the goal, Folsom Lake stepped up their aggression, piling on more opportunities that the Santa Rosa defensive line continued to deny. SRJC midfielders Sam Nolan and Miguel Bustos looked particularly impressive as they maintained possession and tracked back to win the ball.
After the game, SRJC head coach Marty Kinahan said his team had a good game against a strong conference opponent. “We just need to handle adversity better and finish games.”
The Bear Cubs look to bounce back at home when they go head-to-head with the Skyline College Trojans at 4 p.m. Oct. 18 at Sunrise Park.
