Orange County SC was finally back at home this week, facing off against Las Vegas Lights with their first league game at The Champ since May.
FIRST HALF:
Ryan Doghman celebrates his goal against Las Vegas Lights
This week was the first time in three years that Orange County SC would no longer have a midfield staple, Kyle Scott. One of their best chance creators since he joined, his absence from the club leaves Danny Stone a huge hole to fill in the starting lineup. Nico Benalcazar would slot back into the midfield with the added pressure of taking that vital creator role.
The match began as a back-and-forth battle between the two teams, with neither able to break through with a shot on target. The best look was when Mouhamadou War and Benalcazar had a brilliant one-two pass that completely opened War to take the ball down the left side. Ethan Zubak provided an excellent cross opportunity, but the pass was blocked. Ousmane Sylla picked up the rebound, however, and sent the ball into the six, but no one in the middle could get a clear shot off.
Ryan Doghman started a great opportunity a couple of minutes later, dribbling alone up the field and into the box. He crossed it in, but Zubak wasn’t able to get a shot off; however, Chris Hegardt picked up the loose ball this time and earned a penalty for OCSC.
Zubak stepped up to take the shot, but Raiko Arozarena read the attempt perfectly and made the stop. Yet, he deflected the ball right back to Zubak, who easily slotted his second attempt to open the scoreline at 1-0 OC.
The opening goal only lit the fire for The County Boys to play more aggressively. They constantly put pressure on Arozarena, forcing errors that nearly led to a couple more goals. The Lights’ defense was able to hold on and keep things from getting out of hand too early.
In the 22nd minute, there was nearly a fatal error in communication between Vuk Latinovich and Colin Shutler that could have led to an easy goal. A long ball over the top landed just outside the 18. Latinovich let the ball go through to his keeper, but Shawn Smart was there to get the ball past. Thankfully, the County backline was ready and prepared to clear the ball away before danger arrived.
The boys in orange and black proved once again that when they focus on simple passes through the midfield, they are impossible to stop. The complete team passed the ball from left to right, getting it to Nicola Ciotta, who dribbled toward the top of the box. He passed to Sylla, who quickly sent it to the center. Hegardt was there but flicked the ball to the left side, where Doghman took a one-touch shot. The ball was deflected off the defense and sailed over Arozarena and into the net for the second goal of the evening.
Orange County was given another advantage in the 38th minute, when Christopher Pearson was shown a red card for a foul on the last man.
Three minutes later, Sylla won the ball on the half line, passed it to Zubak, who sent it right back to him. Sylla ran up the center and found War on his right side. War took the one-touch shot at the near post to make it 3-0 in the first half.
SECOND HALF:
It was a dominant first 45 minutes for Orange County SC, especially offensively with 53% possession and nine total shots. Still, the defensive line held strong against some Las Vegas Lights pressure.
Sylla was looking to get his name on the scoreboard early in the second half, as another fantastic team passing sequence on the left side. Hegardt got the ball and passed it to Sylla at the top of the box, who took a low shot toward the far corner. Arozarena made a huge diving save to stop the attempt.
Danny Stone decided to give his defense a boost with his first substitutions, bringing on Koa Santos and Pedro Guimaraes to replace Doghman and Ciotta.
Cameron Dunbar and Ashton Miles came on a few minutes later to allow fresh legs to maintain the shutout and lead.
With a three-to-nil lead and a man up, Orange County SC was happy to dominate possession through the second half without taking many risks. They held their opponents from taking any shots on target and had a couple of moments themselves, but it was their control and passing that stood out.
In the 83rd minute, Dunbar had a breakthrough and took a shot from outside the 18. It was on target and nearly beat the keeper, but Arozarena stuck out his left foot to barely knock it away.
Hegardt sealed the victory and shutout in the 89th minute. Dunbar earned them a set piece in the final third, and it was taken short to Hegardt. He took a couple of steps forward and sent a rocket into the far corner to end the match at 4-0.
OVERVIEW:
Easily one of the best performances from Orange County SC this week as they dominated Las Vegas Lights in a 4-0 slaughter. Fans were worried as news broke this week on Kyle Scott leaving for England on a transfer and Lyam Mackinnon suffering a potential season-ending injury. This was a match where someone needed to step up in a big way to lead this team toward some good results.
Luckily, not just one but many players came onto the pitch and had one of the best performances of the season. Ousmane Sylla was instrumental in the midfield, creating chaos and chances every time he got on the ball, proving a constant thorn in Vegas' side all night. Chris Hegardt was prolific, earning one assist and one goal. At the same time, Mohamadou War and Nicola Ciotta stepped up to fill positions in such fashion that they deserve to make the starting lineup for future matches.
At 15 matches played, Orange County SC is officially at the halfway point of the season and just barely in the playoff race, sitting in eighth place. This is the time to go on a winning streak, and it is needed to turn this rollercoaster of a season around. Next week, they will play their final Jägermeister Cup match against Oakland Roots SC on Saturday, July 26th, at 1:00 PM PST.
Don’t miss our live show Tuesday at 8pm Pacific when we’ll talk about this match and the upcoming Jagermeister Cup match Saturday against Oakland Roots. Find us on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. Recorded episodes can be found on Spotify. Please like, subscribe, and share with you friends!