If fans still needed a reason to hop back on the Orange County bandwagon, Saturday’s match against San Diego Loyal should’ve been all the reason folks needed. Unrecognizable from the team that took the pitch for the first two months of the season, OCSC stormed into hostile territory at Torero Stadium and came away with 3 points after a decisive 3-1 victory. This brought the season point total to 34, which was good enough to leapfrog San Diego on the table and into fourth place in the West. If the playoffs began after this game, OCSC would be hosting their opponent in the first round of the playoffs. What seemed like a distant dream two months earlier has now became a distinct reality.
Orange County Soccer Club is ready for another magical run.
Early setback
The victory wouldn’t come without resistance from Loyal, who got on the scoreboard early in the 8’ of the match. All credit to Evan Conway, who received a header from Adrien Pérez and scored what should be a contender for goal of the year. Dillion Powers was the unfortunate defender who Conway embarrassed in his final cutback before curling a perfect ball into the top-left corner of the net.
The southern California rivals would trade blows throughout the rest of the first half, but neither team could break through. The best chance at a first half equalizer came in the 30’ when, after an Owen Lambe corner kick, Milan Iloski caught a rebound on his left foot and fired a strike from inside the 6-yard box. The ball careened off the crossbar and rolled harmlessly out of play. Milan would take another shot a few minutes later, but it was easily blocked by a San Diego outfielder.
Colin Shutler had to make two saves to close out the first half. As the teams headed into the locker room at the half, OCSC found themselves in a 1-0 deficit. Early in the season, this would have been the death knell for the lads. But this new look Orange County side shifted gears and put on an absolute show in the second half.
The Thomas Amang show
Prior to Saturday’s game, it had been a quiet and somewhat underwhelming season for newcomer Thomas Amang. With just 3 goals across 14 appearances, the OCSC faithful expected more from the 24 year-old, who was just a year removed from having 13 goal contributions (11 goals, 2 assists) with San Diego.
In Saturday’s contest, Amang made a statement against his former team in what could arguably be considered to be his best game of the season.
In the 52’, a sharp passing sequence through Kevin Partida and the midfield found Brian Iloski in space to run as he dribbled into San Diego’s penalty area. In a brilliant instance of unselfish soccer, Iloski executed a move similar to Conway’s from the first half, cutting back against a chasing Carlos Guzmán, but instead of shooting, he shuffled the ball to a charging, unmarked Amang for an easy finish.
With the game equalized and plenty of time for a winner, OCSC was content to cede possession to San Diego and wait for the perfect opportunity to counter. Only one more shot-a missed shot on a difficult angle by Amang-was taken by Orange County over the next 25 or so minutes. Despite the calm, reserved manner of play, there were still goals to be had for OCSC.
In the 78’, heavy pressure from Bryce Jamison forced a bad giveaway by Blake Bodily. A sloppy pass toward midfield was stolen by Partida, who dribbled it up the field and into the attacking third. With the Loyal backline scrambling and out of position, Partida slipped a through ball to Iloski. Two defenders closed in and sent Iloski to ground. Traveling supporters barely had time to cry out for a penalty call because within two seconds, Amang was on the rebound and blasting a shot past a falling Koke Vegas for the go ahead goal.
Deflated after two unanswered goals, San Diego had no fight remaining, save for Charlie Adams, who took the final three shots for Loyal before the game ended. To put the final stamp on the match, Korede Osundina, subbed on for Amang in the 80’, found the back of the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Heads up positioning by Ashish Chattha allowed him to make an incredible sliding takeaway that nudged the ball right to Iloski. Iloski made a one-touch pass to Osundina, who was well beyond the defenders in OCSC’s half, eliminating the potential for an offside call. Osundina had wide open space in front of him, and despite two defenders closing in, his speed and precision proved to be too much for an exhausted San Diego defense as he scored the final goal of the game.
Statement Game
A win is fine. A win against a rival is good. A win on the road against a rival is great. A win on the road against a rival in decisive fashion is damn near perfect. A game like this can help define a team for the remainder of the season. San Diego is a good team, but Orange County was in a class above in this match, and they looked capable of rivaling any team in the league. They’ll need to maintain this form as the playoff push continues in earnest, especially throughout the month of August. The schedule for OCSC does not let up as they will face the #1 team in the East, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, in their next fixture on August 16. After that, they’ll face the #2 team in the East (Charleston Battery) and the #1 team in the West (Sacramento Republic) before the calendar flips to September.
August looked like a death trap at the beginning of the season. Now? It looks like a test to see what Orange County Soccer Club is made of. And if their recent form is anything to go by, it’ll be a test that the team is more than ready for.
