Orange County SC was back at home this week with something to prove as they battled Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. Their huge victory proved to both fans and the rest of the league that we are still in the playoff race.
FIRST HALF:
The boys in orange and black got off on the front foot by making their way into the box early, thanks to quick passing from left to right across the field. Bryce Jamison used great footwork to put pressure on the Colorado Springs defense, then passed it to the top of the box, where Kevin Partida tried to send a chipped ball into the six. The ball was cleared away, but OCSC kept possession in the final third, showing fantastic offensive presence.
One of the biggest keys to Orange County's recent success has been the return of Kevin Partida. He plays the role of destroyer perfectly, and in the first ten minutes of this match, he contributed a handful of times to shutting Colorado's offense down before things became dangerous.
However, the opponents almost sneaked a breakaway through after Markus Nakkim's poor pass backward. The ball did not have enough speed to reach Colin Shutler, and he had to come far off his line to clear the ball away before Justin Dhillon could get a shot off.
As predicted, within the first minute of the match, fouls were starting to rack up, mostly for Colorado Springs. The referee was calling fouls left and right, leading to Dhillon earning the first yellow card of the evening after catching Seth Casiple from behind.
Although there were technically no shots on goal in the first 30 minutes, Orange County dominated the match's attacking flow. Multiple times, they were able to push into the final third and keep possession there until an opportunity on the wing opened up for someone to cross it in. The crosses all had promise but were cleared away each time. Still, with the amount of pressure building, it was only a matter of time before the pressure broke the Switchbacks' defensive dam.
That moment came about in the 32nd minute when a quick one-two pass between Chris Hegardt and Ryan Doghman on the left side opened the line up for Hegardt to take the ball down the field and send in a cross. His target was Ethan Zubak on the far post, but it seemed like Colorado's defense would clear it out again. However, a lousy touch led to an own goal. It may have been a blunder from the Switchbacks that provided Orange County with their 1-0 lead, but Hegardt's pass and the squad's constant pressure forced such a mistake to happen.
In the 44th minute, something happened off-camera and away from the play. The ref had to consult the fourth official, and Justin Dhillon received a second yellow card, which sent him off the pitch and reduced his team to ten men for the remainder of the match.
Yet, even with a considerable advantage, Orange County SC almost allowed their opponents to equalize just before the half was over. Colorado immediately responded with their best play of the match and took the ball down the line. Casiple was beaten in the box, and Aidan Rocha could send a cross to Cole Mrowka. He sent in a rocket of a shot, but Shutler made a brilliant diving save to keep his team ahead by one in the first half.
SECOND HALF
It was impossible for Orange County SC not to be ecstatic in the second half as they led by one goal and were up a man on the pitch. However, although they showed a lot of offensive promise in creating chances in the final third, they actually had zero shots on target. An early goal could secure victory, but achieving it would take a lot of work.
In reality, neither side made much ground in scoring a goal in the second half, and it was a complete defensive stalemate for 45 minutes. The County Boys did not seem like they were playing with a man advantage when it came to possession and relied heavily on the defense to keep their lead. Partida, Nakkim, and Dillon Powers were the standouts as they stopped shots and cleared away chances before their opponents could reach Shutler.
Christian Sorto and Ben Norris both appeared late in the half, but each provided the necessary energy to the pace of play.
It wasn't until added time that Orange County finally got their first shot on target. Dunbar took the ball to the top of the box and sent in a shot that a defender blocked, but the deflection landed at the feet of Zubak, who tried to quickly take a shot, but Christian Herrera was able to pounce on top of the ball to stop a second goal.
Yet, the second goal was bound to happen, and in the last seconds, Casiple sent a superb through ball down the left side, where Zubak ran to meet it. Herrera tried to come far off his line to clear the ball away, but a single touch around him left the net empty, allowing Zubak to score from outside the box and secure a 2-0 victory for Orange County SC.
OVERVIEW:
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins for the boys in orange and black, but it was an extremely important 3 points as the season inches closer to its end. There still needs to be some significant improvement to the finishing capabilities of this squad, but the defense has been more vital than ever, as this match marks the fourth clean sheet in five games. With Kevin Partida back from injury and last season's back four finally together again, hope is starting to build back that Orange County SC is becoming a tough team to play against, home and away.
Danny Stone would agree that although our defensive strength is carrying us forward, there needs to be some focus on improving the offense: "The way that we attack and score goals is still a work in process… We want to be an attacking-minded team, and I think from tonight's game, that’s probably the area where we could be a little tighter.”
In light of a victory, it's refreshing to see a coach who still looks forward to how the team can keep improving in the last few weeks of the season.
Orange County SC's final away match will be next Wednesday. They travel to Texas to face El Paso Locomotive FC on Wednesday, October 16th, at 6:00 PM PST. You can watch Wednesday’s match on the CBS Sports Golazo Network for free.