This Saturday, Orange County SC finally secured both their first shutout of the season and their first road victory as they faced off against El Paso Locomotive FC.
FIRST HALF:
As for the lineup this week, Coach Danny Stone made some changes as he continues to search for that perfect mix to start the match out strong. Ousmane Sylla and Ethan Zubak both returned to the starting lineup, and the formation shifted back to a 4-4-2. This strategy placed a lot of trust in the two strikers, Cameron Dunbar and Zubak, while also allowing the midfield, arguably OCSC's most substantial collection of players, to shine.
As the match kicked off, Orange County looked significantly more aggressive and eager to challenge their opponents than they had last week. However, their passing left a lot to be desired. Chris Hegardt, Kyle Scott, and Sylla all did a fantastic job in getting the ball up to the half-line but then made poor giveaways that prevented them from gaining any dangerous chances in the final third.
The real heroes of the first half, surprisingly, came from the defense. This may have been the best the backline looked like all season. Whether from set pieces or the run of play, the defense was able to clear the ball away, block shots from reaching the net, and force El Paso to shoot from outside the box, resulting in 9 shots with zero of them on target.
Amando Moreno was the biggest challenge for the OCSC defense. In the 19th minute, he dribbled all by himself from the half-line into the box to take a shot toward the far post. He had the defense beat and could have gotten the attempt past Colin Shutler, but the shot went wide, and the scoreline remained nil-nil.
After the hydration break, the County Boys' offensive play received a much-needed boost. It started in the 34th minute when the midfield was able to finally control possession in the final third and make simple, smart passes around the box. Eventually, they got the ball to Dunbar on the right side, who quickly threaded a pass across the six to Zubak. He found the back of the net with a quick one-touch on goal, but the play was ruled offside.
Dunbar and Zubak found their moment just a few minutes later, though; once again, the midfield simplified their passing game and was able to pierce the final third. Scott chipped a pass over the backline to Dunbar and took it to the end line. He tried to shoot from a tight angle, but it deflected off the keeper and landed at the feet of Zubak, who was able to shoot on an empty net to give his side a 1-0 lead.
The floodgates opened, and the boys in orange immediately found another chance. Shutler sent a beautiful ball to Sylla from a goal kick, who laid a pass over the top to Dunbar in the box. He shot around the keeper, and though the attempt looked as if it would go wide, defender Wahab Ackwei fumbled the clearance, which resulted in an own goal.
The County boys still weren’t finished as they found a perfect transition in added time. It was a whole team effort that passed around the midfield, starting with Ryan Doghman on the left and ending with Nico Benalcazar on the right. Benalcazar took it down the line and crossed it into the box to Zubak. With the outside of his right foot, he chipped a shot over the goalkeeper and into the net, giving OCSC a 3-0 lead at halftime.
SECOND HALF
El Paso Locomotive made three subs at halftime with hopes that a shake-up to the lineup would give them an edge to begin the comeback. They nearly found their opening goal three minutes into the half when some great passing on the right side eventually found the feet of Moreno in the middle of the box. He sent a rocket toward goal, but it hit the crossbar and went out of play.
Shutler had more to do in the second half as El Paso dominated possession and made a strong offensive push in the first 20 minutes of the half, taking three shots on target and forcing the County keeper to make some big saves to keep the lead.
The best save of the night came in the 67 minutes off a free kick just ten yards outside the box. Eric Calvillo took the shot and forced Shutler to dive to make the catch.
The entire second half was at the feet of El Paso, with Orange County SC entirely relying on their defense to maintain their lead. As mentioned, Shutler made some great saves, but the real stars were Tom Brewitt and Vuk Latinovich, who kept their composure in the center of the box to clear away the danger whenever possible.
Orange County were able to hold on for dear life defensively throughout the second half and earned a 3-0 victory.
OVERVIEW:
It wasn't the prettiest of wins, and there were several issues from Orange County SC, but the defense was able to secure all three points on the road for the first time this season. Not only was it the first away victory, but also the first shutout in 2025 that showcased the best performance from the backline so far.
El Paso Locomotive FC dominated most of the match in every stat. They had 64% of possessions, over 200 more passes, and nearly 20 more shots than the boys in orange. However, it was a ten-minute period during which OCSC created some phenomenal opportunities through simple yet intelligent passing, which earned them all three of their goals for the night.
Ethan Zubak will be the talk of the evening with his brace, but in reality, the savior of this match was the defensive line who made a complete turn of form. Tom Brewitt and Vuk Latinovich were brilliant at maintaining composure in the box and guiding the defense in clearing the ball in critical moments. Between the two of them, they had 17 clearances and three blocked shots, demonstrating that defensive strength is key to achieving significant victories on the road.
This could be a huge turning point for the County Boys, as they finally earned a victory on the road; however, there is still a lot for this team to work on. As for possession, there were numerous wasted opportunities from the midfield, who were trying too hard to be fancy with their passing rather than being efficient. It was only during those ten minutes that they made simple passes across the field, which led to three goals. Hopefully, that kind of buildup will be the focus moving forward if they have any desire to rise up the table.
Orange County SC will have a bye week coming up and some much-needed time to train for the second half of the year. Their next match will be at home against Sacramento Republic FC in the third round of the Jägermeister Cup on June 28th at 7:00 pm PST.
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