Orange County SC was back at home this Saturday with hopes of turning their luck around and claiming a victory against Sacramento Republic FC, another California rival.
Orange County SC celebrates Ethan Zubak’s goal in the first half.
FIRST HALF:
This week's significant lineup changes saw Ryan Doghman return to the starting XI after serving his one-match suspension due to a red card, while Lyam Mackinnon got his first start of the season.
Sacramento took charge in the first three minutes, getting into County's box a couple of times. But the defense was up to the task and repelled their opponents without allowing a shot on target.
The County Boys saw their first chance in the fourth minute as they looked to capitalize on a poor backward pass in the final third. Ethan Zubak started the turnover with an interception; he quickly passed Ousmane Sylla, who then found Bryce Jamison running down the right wing. Jamison took it into the box, made some quick maneuvers that left a defender on the ground, and then passed it back to Sylla in the middle of the box. He took a shot, but it went wide, unfortunately wasting a fantastic chance for an early lead.
Although they couldn't finish, it was a dynamic start for the boys in blue and orange, and they took complete control of the match for the remainder of the first half.
In the 10th minute, Kyle Scott switched the ball over to Doghman, who sent a wonderful through pass down the line to Mackinnon. He crossed it in, and Zubak connected the shot, but Danny Vitiello parried it away.
Orange County kept knocking on the door and finally found their way in at the 18th minute of the match. Once again, Scott began the run of play with a fantastic pass up the field to Mackinnon. He found Doghman running into the box, who crossed it across the six so Zubak could easily tap it in for the opening goal. Vitiello almost made the save, but the ball deflected off his palm and bounced off his body back into the net, giving OCSC a 1-0 lead.
Zubak almost netted a second one before the half was finished after Sylla ran through the middle and pulled away four defenders, leaving the striker completely open. Sylla made the pass, and Zubak took a one-touch shot that unfortunately slammed into the crossbar instead of the net—the first half ending with a one-goal difference in Orange County's favor.
SECOND HALF:
The first half felt like a breath of fresh air for Orange County SC. Even if they didn't have most of the possession, their attacking chances made them feel like the dominant side. Their opponents were able to take two shots on target, but neither challenged Colin Shutler.
The attacking pressure was not over, though, only three minutes into the second half, and Jamison won the ball in Sacramento's half. He and Sylla had a one-two pass, opening Jamison to take the ball into the box and cross it in front of the net, hoping to connect with Zubak for a repeat goal. Blake Willey slid in front of the cross to try and kick it away; however, the ball landed inside his own net instead, giving Orange County a 2-0 lead off another own goal.
After the second goal, Sacramento started to push harder against Orange County's defense. In the 55th minute, they almost had a perfect through ball to Russell Cicerone that split Grayson Doody and Tom Brewitt. However, Cicerone ran a bit too fast, and the pass hit his heel, allowing Doody to clear it away.
They weren’t done attacking, however. Only a minute later, Jared Timmer had the ball on the right side. He crossed it into the box, where Juan Sebastian Herrera jumped clear of Doody and Brewitt to head the ball into the back of the net to cut the deficit in half.
Orange County started to lose control of the match after their opponents scored. Reckless fouls and bad passing left fans concerned that Sacramento would be able to fight their back into the match.
Colin Shutler secured the victory for OCSC. In the 75th minute, he made a diving save to stop a rocket from Cicerone. Only a minute later, he pushed another shot off the line and held his composure amid chaos in his box to keep Sacramento from finding an equalizer.
After a bit of drama between the two clubs in added time, the final whistle blew, and Orange County SC won the match 2-1.
OVERVIEW:
This weekend, it was a tale of two halves as Orange County SC faced off against Sacramento Republic FC. Although not a perfect performance, there was significant progress in the opening 45 minutes that showed signs of a team that could rise up the table. The second half, however, proved there is still a lot of room for growth for this squad, especially in staying disciplined and keeping control of possession until the final whistle.
It was the incredible speed of both Lyam Mackinnon and Bryce Jamison that frustrated Sacramento the most. The two wingers spread the opposing defense thin by drawing them away from the center and freeing Zubak to find a finishing strike. Kyle Scott may have been the real MVP of the evening, though, both in creating offensive chances and in stopping shots with his face.
Yet, this was the fifth match of the season, and they still have no shutouts to speak of. Colin Shutler is making amazing saves each week, but the defense needs to tighten up if they hope to compete for a top spot.
This coming week, Orange County SC will be on the road twice. First, they will travel a few hours to Lancaster to face off against League One side AV Alta FC in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Tuesday, April 15th, at 7:00 PM PST. Then, next Saturday, April 19th, the County Boys will go up north to battle the Oakland Roots SC at 1:00 PM PST.