Orange County Soccer Club earned a much-needed 3-2 victory over the Oakland Roots at Santa Ana Stadium as nearly 8,000 fans erupted after the team’s signature “County Roads” chant Saturday night.
The win gave Orange County three points in the Western Conference standings after struggling to secure a road victory in its previous three league matches.
OCSC defender Nico Benalcazar opened the scoring early in the eighth minute. Midfielder Stephen Kelly initiated a corner play by passing to Chris Hegardt, who maneuvered deeper into the area before crossing the ball into the box. Benalcazar delivered a powerful header past Oakland goalkeeper Raphael Spiegel to give Orange County a 1-0 lead.
The remainder of the first half was relatively quiet as Oakland supporters matched — and at times surpassed — the home crowd with loud chants that appeared to energize the Roots.
Oakland equalized in the 40th minute when right midfielder Bertin Jacquesson delivered a long pass across the field to Wolfgang Prentice. The Oakland midfielder collected the ball and fired a left-footed shot past Orange County goalkeeper Alex Rando to tie the match 1-1.
The Roots later surrendered a costly mistake in the second half. Under pressure from Orange County, Oakland center back Michael Edwards attempted a pass back to Spiegel. The Swiss goalkeeper misplayed the ball directly to Kelly, who capitalized with a right-footed shot from outside the box into an open net, giving Orange County a 2-1 lead.
Oakland striker Peter Wilson responded quickly just six minutes later in the 56th minute. Defender Jesus de Vicente advanced from the left side and sent a pass ahead of three Orange County defenders. Rando came off his line, but Wilson slipped past him and finished into the net to level the score at 2-2.
Orange County pushed for the winner late as the team looked to secure momentum before another stretch of away matches. Kelly earned a free kick on the right side of Oakland’s defensive third in the 84th minute, but Brandon Cambridge’s attempt was deflected by Spiegel.
When the match appeared headed for a draw, Orange County found its breakthrough in dramatic fashion.
Ryan Doghman launched a long throw-in into the penalty area that was initially headed away by Oakland midfielder Tyler Gibson. The clearance fell to Ousmane Sylla, who later said he felt “no pressure” in the moment before striking a volley into the back of the net for the game-winning goal.
The electric Santa Ana crowd helped fuel the late victory, according to Benalcazar, as Orange County secured the three points the Black and Orange had been searching for.
Orange County SC will next face AV Alta FC in Lancaster, California, in a USL Cup matchup on June 6 at 8 p.m.
Article and Photos by Henry Caceres
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