On a foggy night in Monterey Bay, Orange County SC traveled up north with one more chance in the regular season to move up the table into second place. They secured just that with a 1-0 victory over Monterey Bay FC and guaranteed they will be the second seed in the playoff race that kicks off next Saturday.

FIRST HALF:

Before the match began, OCSC fans noticed a few missing players from the usual starting lineup. Thomas Amang, Brian Iloski, and Captain Markus Nakkim were the most notable due to concern they may be injured. However, their absence is most likely due to a careful strategy to give some of the more crucial players rest before playoffs.

In only a few minutes, Kyle Scott showcased once again how important he is to this squad with some brilliant back-and-forth passes in the middle of the field. With Scott on the pitch, Orange County dominates games in the center, as his prolific passing awareness has been vital to many attacking chances and goals.

Despite finding out they were eliminated from playoffs the night before, Monterey Bay FC came into this game with a lot of energy and pressure as they looked for an early lead, hoping to win on the last game of the 2023 regular season.

Yet, coach Morten Karlsen seemed prepared for this tactic as the boys in orange sat back and focused on a solid defense and team passing in order to let their opponents exhaust themselves early. Kevin Partida and Dillon Powers were the key players in this strategy, Partida offering his usual intensity to shut down the opponents before they reached the eighteen while Powers was there to cover him and clear away the danger if Monterey got into the box.

A heart-stopping moment occurred in the 14th minute after Andrew Fox made a poor pass in the final third that was intercepted by the opponents. They took it to the corner and sent in a cross across the box, which got headed into a perfect pass to Sean Okoli, who was alone in the middle with a clear shot in front of him. He took the strike, but Powers was there to stop it, and Partida pushed the deflection forward. Still, the danger was not over as Adrian Rebollar followed through to take a second shot on goal, but Powers was still on the line and cleared the ball away, saving his team from going down.

County's first chance on goal happened only a few minutes later. Scott started the push up the field with brilliant passes between a handful of his teammates. He sent a chip pass up the center to Kevin Lankford, who drilled a header right to the feet of Milan Iloski. Milan took a shot from just outside the eighteen that unfortunately went straight at the keeper.

Karlsen’s strategy for this match started to pay off around the 30th minute. OCSC began to pick up the pace and press against an exhausted Monterey Bay midfield. Ryan Doghman and Bryce Jamison kept challenging their opponents on the wing, causing Monterey to spread thin, all while Lankford and Milan waited in the center to make their mark.

The perfect moment came in the 39th minute; Milan sent a superb through ball to Lankford, who made the smart decision to take his time, control the ball, and chipped a pass back to Milan by the far post. He gently tapped in the shot under the keeper to give Orange County a 1-0 lead before the halftime whistle.

SECOND HALF:

Orange County's goal before the first half ended gave Monterey Bay FC a second wind who came back on the pitch hungry to equalize the battle. Their pressure did not let up, but the boys in orange were up to the challenge both offensively and defensively, challenging the home team at every step. Monterey almost had a breakaway when Okoli controlled a long ball and found his teammate alone to the left. Still, Powers stayed as crucial as ever, running between both players to stop a shot from reaching Colin Shutler.

The only worry for fans this match was when looking at the available subs. The only relief available to the squad in the second half was from many young academy players, who are all very talented but still inexperienced in a professional setting.

Those fears came to fruition when Milan went down in the 55th minute; he was able to come back onto the pitch after the scare, but not for long, as Alex Villanueva soon replaced him. Villanueva was a staple for the starting lineup last season but, due to his own injury, has been unable to play most of this year. A fantastic talent, yes, but a bit rusty and young, causing some stress if Orange County could keep their lead without Milan.

In a strong return, however, Villanueva was incredibly impressive in this match. His energy and fresh legs on the field allowed Orange County to make some strong attempts on goal.

Shutout Shutler also put on another fantastic display in this match as he prevented any real chances from Monterey from being too dangerous. In the 67th minute, he came far out of his box to clear a ball away before the opposing striker could get to the long pass, preventing a one-on-one situation that almost always guarantees a goal. The performances from him, Powers, and Scott cannot be ignored as each was clinical in providing their team a fantastic victory to close out the regular season.

PLAYOFFS AHEAD:

With a win in Monterey Bay and San Antonio drawing against Indy Eleven, Orange County SC secured the second seed in the playoff race that kicks off next Saturday, October 21st.

Orange County will play the first round at home against El Paso Locomotive. Unfortunately, Marc McNulty and Kevin Partida will be unavailable for the first playoff match due to each getting a red card in the past two games. However, the depth of this team can more than makeup for their absence as long as everyone else is healthy and eager to win. With the second seed secured, OCSC has the potential to host multiple matches as long as they continue to win.

The final stretch of 2023 is around the counter, and the boys in orange are in a fantastic position to gain a second star above their crest.