Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC ended Orange County SC’s historic unbeaten streak this last weekend. Despite looking like the better team, Orange County couldn’t find the back of the net.
Brian Iloski and Markus Nakkim stand over a free kick.
FIRST HALF:
As the boys in orange took to the pitch, one element stood out: in the goalkeeper position was the newest signing of SoCal native Eric Lopez.
Orange County started things off quickly as they pressed forward with three dangerous strikers. Thomas Amang quickly dribbled up the middle and looked to Kevin Lankford on the right side, who used his high speed to break past Colorado's backline. Milan Iloski then came up on the left. He asked for the switch, and Lankford kept the pass on the ground and set Iloski up for a perfect opportunity. Still, unfortunately, he could not get over the ball, and the shot skyrocketed away without any serious challenge on goal.
Although OCSC dominated the possession in the first half, especially in the midfield, the Switchbacks had a more substantial defensive plan. Milan, Lankford, and Amang kept trying to find a breakthrough but were constantly shut down by the opposing back line. One missing piece of the puzzle in the Orange County lineup was Kyle Scott, who earned a one-game suspension due to yellow card accumulation. His absence was felt as his ball control and passing have been a massive help in creating some of the best chances for the offense to score.
The offense may not have been able to find many opportunities on net, but the defense did brilliantly in preventing Colorado from taking their own shots on target. Dillon Powers and Markus Nakkim continue weekly to show that they are the anchors that have allowed the team such a long, unbeaten streak the past few months. Fullbacks Ryan Doghman and Owen Lambe were also stellar, and no matter which angle Colorado tried to attack from, the defensive line stopped everything from reaching Lopez.
Milan and Doghman each had a couple of solid strikes on goal as the half ended, but goalkeeper Christian Herrera made a few wonderful saves to keep things level.
SECOND HALF:
It was much the same as the teams returned to the field for the second half; Orange County continued to push their attack forward and control possession in the final third. However, none of their chances were critical enough to give them the lead.
As play continued, Orange County appeared more frustrated at their lack of finishing attacks and reverted to sending long balls up the field. However, like against El Paso last week, they needed help finding a breakthrough against the Switchbacks' defensive wall.
Colorado Springs adjusted more and more as the clock ticked on, and they started to push back against the overwhelming control that County had in the first half of the match. The most significant improvement came in the Switchbacks' midfield play, where they were able to pass around Orange County on their half and, more importantly, stop a lot of Orange County's counterattacks before becoming dangerous.
The most impressive attacking moment came in the 62nd minute after a pass up the line from Marc "Sparky" McNulty. Lambe found the pass and sent it back to the middle, where Kevin Partida had a fantastic showcase of aggression, fighting against a couple of defenders to take the ball back. He then passed back to Brian Iloski, who was about to shoot from the top of the box but was fouled. He stepped up to take the free kick and sent in a beautiful ball over the wall that looked guaranteed to find the net, but Herrera made an even better save to once again keep his team from going down a goal.
Sometimes all it takes to win a game is one moment of magic, and in the 84th minute Colorado Springs found that moment. After keeping the ball on County's final third of the pitch for too long, passing around the midfield, the ball ended up at the feet of substitute Tyreek Magee. He made a quick turn a couple of yards outside the eighteen-yard line and sent a rocket of a shot past Lopez and into the top of the net, making things 1-0.
The boys in Orange tried their hardest to find the equalizer and nearly did in the 90th minute after Sparky received a long ball and found an open passing lane in the box where Nakkim was making the run. He took the shot one-on-one with Herrera, but it went wide, officially ending Orange County's historic nine-game unbeaten streak.
OVERVIEW:
As frustrating as it is to lose at home, Orange County SC still looks incredibly strong in many ways. The offense has yet to find the proper finishing touches in the past couple of matches, but with players like Milan Iloski and Thomas Amang, there should be no doubt they will find the net soon. The real strength of this squad comes from the defense and midfield, however, and even though it wasn't the result they wanted, this orange and black team looks as strong as ever.
The regular season is almost over, with only four matches left before playoffs, and Orange County will want to win each of them to rise up the table as much as possible. A true test will happen this Saturday, September 23rd, as they make the trip to San Antonio for one of two matchups against the current second-place team.