On a beautiful night for soccer, Orange County SC earned their first three points of 2019 against a tough Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC team.

The first half went well for Orange County. Possession was nearly even, and OCSC was comfortable to hold possession in their half before picking their moments to attack. Darwin Jones looked dangerous on the right flank, and he created multiple opportunities through some solid crosses along with a quality shot that was saved by Colorado Springs’ young goalkeeper Abraham Rodriguez.

Orange County’s defense was solid in the first half, comfortable on the ball and limiting the Switchbacks to just one shot on target. Patrick McLain was solid in goal, making a solid save that kept Colorado Springs off the score sheet.

Jones opened the scoring late in the first half, beating Rodriguez off an excellent assist from Liam Trotter from a set piece. The team continued on for the remaining moments of the half and took the lead into the break.

The second half featured more Orange County quality, as they dominated the game. Jones got a second goal in the 57th minute to put the home team up 2-0. After the match, he said “it just feels good because we got the win, but it’s always nice to get on the score sheet.” He had a chance at a hat trick in the 70th minute, but his shot was just right of the post and went into the side netting.

McLain wasn’t challenged much in the second half, but still made his presence known, making a solid save in the 72nd minute from a dangerous shot from the right wing. He was also able to control the ball, eliminating any chance for a follow-up from Colorado Springs.

After the match, head coach Braeden Cloutier talked about the “fantastic team performance from start to finish.” He continued, acknowledging “we knew we needed to get back to basics and give ourselves a chance. Tonight was back to basics and we kept a clean sheet.”

Midfielder Aodhan Quinn spoke highly of the team’s performance on the night of his return, saying “tonight’s performance is going to spark some confidence. We know how good we can be, and now we know we can put it on the field.”

Orange County has a quick turnaround as they will host Tacoma Defiance on Wednesday, April 10th at Championship Soccer Stadium.

Scoring:

42’: Darwin Jones (Liam Trotter)

57’: Darwin Jones (Michael Seaton)

Discipline:

83’: Patrick McLain (Yellow Card)

87’: Charlie Adams (Yellow Card)

89’: Ibrahim Yaro (Yellow Card)

Statistics

• This was Orange County’s third consecutive win over Colorado Springs.

• Colorado Springs maintained 55% of the possession for the match.