This past Saturday, Orange County SC's 2023 season ended in a heartbreaking defeat against rivals Phoenix Rising FC. In tune with the rest of the year, the boys in orange fought till the very end, losing only in overtime. Although not the end anyone wanted, in many ways, this was one of the greatest seasons of the club's career, both on and off the field.

As the wounds from defeat are still fresh in the minds of the club and fans alike, many won't be ready to thoroughly revisit the match between Phoenix Rising FC on Saturday, October 28th. However, despite the unfortunate result, Orange County SC fought tooth and nail to the end in a fashion the players and fans should be proud of.

On a foggy night in Monterey Bay, Orange County SC traveled up north with one more chance in the regular season to move up the table into second place. They secured just that with a 1-0 victory over Monterey Bay FC and guaranteed they will be the second seed in the playoff race that kicks off next Saturday.

These two teams were clearly hungry for a win, and that passion quickly turned into aggression as the match kicked off. In just 11 minutes of play, two yellow cards were handed out to Orange Count's Seth Casiple and San Antonio's Connor Maloney. The physical clashes between both squads would only get more heated as the game continued.

The first chance on goal came from a free kick taken by Brian Iloski, who has been brilliant in his set-piece placements lately. He curved a cross into the box that got deflected towards the post where Milan Iloski was waiting to head the ball toward the net; unfortunately, the aim wasn't quite right, and the attempt went straight into Nick Marsman’s arms.