After a scorching June, OCSC continued their winning ways with a dominating 3-1 win against Monterey Bay FC, a team that hasn't lost a match in over a month.
Orange County welcomed a sellout crowd to Championship Stadium to kick off the month of July, and OCSC’s 10 year anniversary.
First Half
The match started as a back and forth affair, but Orange County was the more aggressive side, making four shot attempts before the half hour mark. Alex Dixon and Christian Volesky, the top marksmen for Monterey Bay, each had a shot go wide early in the game, but it was Hugh Roberts II that broke through with a header in the 35’, assisted by a cross from James Murphy. Down 1-0 with a little over 10 minutes left in the half, it would’ve been understandable if fans felt worried; time and again in 2023, the team would collapse after falling behind, making a 1-0 deficit feel insurmountable.
Thankfully, this is not the same OCSC as the team from April and May.
The lads continued to fight and had five more attempts before the end of half, including a rocket from Brian Iloski that rattled off the crossbar. The game was there for the taking, but the halftime whistle sounded and OCSC went into the locker room down a goal.
Second Half
In the second half, Orange County picked up right where they left off. Monterey’s defense was under consistent, sustained pressure, which resulted in a corner kick and an almost-header by Markus Nakkim in the 48’. Two minutes later, Milan Iloski zipped around a defender and took a shot outside the box. The ball sailed over the goal, but the attempts were there.
The key substitution of the night came in the 55’ when Brian Iloski came off in favor of Thomas Amang. Amang, the stalwart attacker from San Diego Loyal who had 13 goal contributions in 2022, has been underwhelming for Orange County in 2023. Coming into this game, Amang only had one goal contribution-a goal against FC Tulsa-across ten matches, only three of which he started in. In a year where OCSC is struggling to find goals, Amang was expected to be a key part of the attacking core.
45 seconds after stepping onto the pitch, Amang made a run into the box between two defenders and headed a ball right into goalkeeper Antony Siaha’s waiting arms. This came just after Seth Casiple almost slotted a ball in the bottom left corner off of a corner kick delivered by Owen Lambe (who will show up again in a big way later). This short period was a microcosm of the game. Every time OCSC got the ball, they were dangerous. With good linkup play in the middle of the field along with effective set pieces, it felt as if the equalizer was inevitable.
Inevitability became reality in the 70’. A gorgeous ball over the top by Marc McNulty found Amang racing behind the entire Monterey backline. With only the keeper to beat, Amang rolled the ball to the left of Siaha, and the game was tied.
It was the game of impactful subs for Orange County as UC Irvine Alum Ashish Chattha was brought in to replace Kyle Scott in the 71’. Seven minutes later, Chattha looped a perfect ball from one edge of the box to the other, and Lambe took care of the rest. Lambe’s first goal of the year gave OCSC a lead that they would never relinquish. Amang would score his second goal of the night in stoppage time after converting a penalty that he drew, but the insurance wasn’t needed. The final whistle blew after seven extra minutes, and Orange County walked away with their third victory in as many games.
What’s Next?
The boys in black and orange are still below the playoff line, but the gap has narrowed considerably. With 22 points, OCSC find themselves just one point behind #8 Oakland, two points behind #7 San Diego, and three points behind #5 Colorado and #6 Phoenix. They’ll look to keep their momentum going when they head to Rio Grande Valley next weekend to take on the Toros to begin a 3-game road trip.