Orange County SC claimed another clean sheet en route to their third consecutive victory. With the win, OC are still unbeaten in 2020.
On an unusually warm August evening, OC started off on the front foot. Comfortable in possession, OC dominated the run of play throughout the half. Seth Moses picked up an early booking after pushing Kevin Alston into the advertising boards.
Ugo Okoli narrowly missed a pair of chances, pulling his shots just wide of the far post. Diego Lopez, a last minute starter, played well, but the debutant was denied by a reflex save by Lights goalkeeper Edward Delgado.
Vegas threatened with a few flashes of attacking play through the opening 20 minutes, but only forced one save from Frederik Due. Otherwise, the visitors were happy to sit back and defend with numbers.
Midfielder Seth Casiple made an early exit after being on the receiving end of a heavy challenge.
Despite multiple chances for both sides, the scoreline remained level as referee Michael Radchuk blew for halftime.
OC made their second change just before the second half, when Aaron Cervantes replaced Due after the starting goalkeeper picked up a knock.
It continued to be a physical match in the second half, with fouls on both sides of the ball slowing the run of play. Just before the hour mark, Radchuk drew the ire of Orange County when he refused to show Moses a second yellow for a late, high tackle on Nathan Smith.
Cammy Palmer came on a few moments later for Diego Lopez, and the Rangers loanee wasted no time getting involved in the attacking play, linking up with Brian Iloski and Edson Alvarado.
Aaron Cervantes (pictured here against El Paso) combined with Frederik Due for the team’s third straight clean sheet. (Photo credit to Liza Rosales)
Orange County continued to press forward in search of a lead. Their efforts were rewarded shortly thereafter: in the 69th minute, Aodhan Quinn scored a nice goal off of a Brian Iloski pass. It was a deserved lead after a dominant run of play.
After the restart, Danny Finlayson replaced Danny Crisostomo. And even with another defender on the pitch, OC pushed forward.
With both sides making changes as legs tired, the final 15 minutes of the match were a frantic affair. Las Vegas pushed deep into the Orange County half, while OC were forced into their first sustained defensive shift.
Orange County successfully mitigated the pressure, and after three added minutes, OC picked up their third consecutive win. It propelled the side into second place in Group B, with two games in hand on leaders Phoenix Rising FC.
After the match, head coach Braeden Cloutier was pleased with the performances of Diego Lopez and Aaron Cervantes. “For any young player, you have to be ready for your opportunity… It’s a good learning experience for all young players, that they need to be tuned in and switched on. I think they both did good jobs tonight coming into an adverse situation.”
Cloutier continued, “We built a really good team with players that come in and contribute. Clean sheets and the talent that we have on this roster… we should be competing for a championship.”
Scoring:
1-0: 69’ Aodhan Quinn
Discipline:
09’: (LV) Seth Moses (yellow)
45’: (LV) Jaiden Waggoner (yellow)
74’: (LV) Ramon del Campo (yellow)
89’: (OC) Ugo Okoli (yellow)