No, the title of this article is not a typo. Although the scoreline may show a draw, a goal from Colin Shutler in added minutes made this 2024 season opener feel like nothing short of a win for Orange County SC.
FIRST HALF
Orange County SC's lineup had a few significant changes from last season, with two newer signings making their OCSC debut in the starting XI. Ethan Zubak was up top as the lead striker, while Sofiane Djeffal slotted into the central midfield. Also, two of County's youth players got starts in the season opener, with Bryce Jamison on the wing and Ashton Miles at center back.
As the whistle blew to start the match, the home team, Sacramento Republic FC, immediately went on the offensive, dominating the run of play, which lasted most of the first half. Although there were some wonderful moments from Djeffal moving the ball toward Sacramento's half of the field, the home team's defense stopped Orange County's offense from creating any significant chances.
Nine minutes in, Sacramento deservedly had the first chance on goal. Some sloppy play from Orange County caused chaos in the box, and eventually, a cross found Rafael Jauregui's head at the far post. Miles stepped up and booted the ball away, stopping the Republic from gaining an early lead.
But the OC defense was still under pressure. Around ten minutes later, Jack Gurr sent a low cross across the box. Colin Shutler could only palm it away, directly into the path of Cristian Parano. Shutler recovered in time to block Parano’s point-blank effort, but the ball then fell at Trevor Amann’s feet. But Ashton Miles was there, again, this time stepping across and blocking another close range shot before Damià Viader volleyed high and away, giving OC a chance to breathe after six seconds of last-ditch defending.
Colin Shutler (in blue) comes off second-best in an aerial duel against Trevor Amman (in white). Photo credit: USL Championship
The pressure by Sacramento finally made the difference in the 28th minute, as Parano sent in a cross, finding Amann by the front post. The striker, on his debut, fired his header into the back of the net, giving Sacramento a deserved lead.
But the goal for Sacramento seemed to light a fire under the boys in orange and black. For the remainder of the first half, still with limited possession, OC focused their attempts forward with quick passing on the ground. It didn’t take long for Orange County to create some chances of their own.
In the 42nd minute, they earned a corner. The initial routine, a short corner clearly designed to unsettle the defense, was blocked, but went out for another OC corner.
Djeffal stepped up and sent an in-swinging cross toward the far post, where Miles backheeled an attempt that beat the Sac keeper Mazzola, but caromed off of the crossbar. Seth Casiple pounced first on the rebound and headed home for his second career goal with Orange County SC.
SECOND HALF
With the score level again, Orange County gained a little more momentum in the second half. Their midfield found some stability and managed to maintain possession against Sacramento’s high press, but still lacked the finishing touch to really challenge the hosts.
The two teams battled back and forth for most of the second half, with no one giving up any ground; a true defensive war raged on. That was until the 77th minute, when Amann broke through once again. A long ball over the top from Nick Ross found Amann, and he squared up against Markus Nakkim. But Amann took a touch to settle the ball, pushed the ball in front of his left foot and rifled an effort into the roof of the net, beating Shutler despite shooting from a tight angle.
With five minutes of injury time added to the full 90, Orange County’s chances of walking away with any points from the 2024 season opener seemed close to zero, and those chances seemed even lower as the clock ticked on. But in the dying seconds of the match, Orange County earned another corner kick. Owen Lambe stood over the ball, with Christian Sorto nearby, while the rest of the team, including Colin Shutler, filed into the opponent's box. Lambe floated his cross over the front post, over five players, and Shutler jumped up, firing his own header down and into the back of the net. The equalizer sent OC fans and players into a fervor as OC fans who traveled north celebrated wildly and the team, led by Nakkim, dog-piled Shutler in celebration.
Shutler became the third keeper in USL Championship history to score a goal, and the first ever for Orange County SC, marking a historic moment ending the match 2-2.
OVERVIEW
While Orange County SC and Sacramento Republic FC drew their match and walked away with one point on the table, Shutler's historic finish in such dramatic fashion gave OC fans and teammates alike a sense of victory in this away match.
Sacramento looked as strong as many predicted they would, dominating the majority of the game. The standouts for OCSC were undoubtedly 18-year-old Ashton Miles, who defended well and denied a few shots on target, and newcomer Sofiane Djeffal, who slotted in the midfield well and created most of the team's forward momentum. The absence of currently injured Kyle Scott was palpable in the midfield, but when he returns, the pairing of Scott and Djeffal could be crucial to the team's success.
Of course, Colin Shutler was awarded the man of the match for his game-saving goal in added time. This legendary moment will be talked about for years to come, and hopefully, it will ignite this team to perform better next week when they travel again to face off against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday, March 16th.