IRVINE, Calif.- There are heroes on the pitch and heroes off it. Orange County Soccer club paid homage to local first responders of Orange County and dedicated their 1-0 win against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC to the services and help they provide to the community and their safety.
As for on the pitch, both teams halted play for a full minute after the initial whistle was blown in protest to the ongoing negotiations between the players’union and the USL showing that the players of the league do have a voice.
It was a mellow match for the first 20 minutes with both sides having a total of 2 shots combined and Orange County having the only one on target while maintaining 67% possession of the ball.
Both teams played as if they wanted to get as many touches as they could get in the midfield, making it a possession competition instead of trying to look for a goal. It would stay like that up until the 32nd minute when things started to pick up after the switchbacks gained a corner.
Switchbacks midfielder Sam Williams shot directly at the goal attempting an olympic goal but it was fiercely blocked by OCSC keeper Alexander Rando.
The majority of the first half was played on Orange County’s half despite OCSC maintaining most of the possession(55%) and Colorado only adding to their shots by one. The black and orange seemed to struggle to convert their plays and lost possession in the midfield, forcing them to play a very defensive game. The half ended, 0-0.
In the second half, in the 50th minute, Switchbacks Defensive midfielder Steven Echevarria took a curling shot from outside the box after a fast pass from Adrien Perez but was saved by Orange County’s Rando, giving him his first save of the night.
Colorado would not let fans leave without at least one exciting moment with their Striker Khori Bennett sprinting from outside the box in the 70th minute and rushing Rando with a chance but as Bennett swiftly evaded County defender Tyson Espy’s slide tackle, OCSC defender Tom Brewitt rushed in and blocked Bennett’s shot with a striking slide tackle, making him one of the many heroes of the night.
As heroes were emerging, the young County striker Tyson Espy took his chance in the 89th minute and became the man of the match when he volleyed a ball coming from a failed headed clearance from Colorado’s defender Talen Maples and sent it into the bottom right corner of the goal, making it the deciding score and securing his first professional goal. Final score, 1-0.
“It is a great feeling and it is definitely an electric environment,” Espy described his experience after scoring his first pro goal as he prepares to leave to Paraguay to play for the U-17 US National team.
Orange County Soccer Club is set to face Oakland Roots SC on March 28th at 5:00pm.
Article by: Henry Caceres
Photos by: Danielle Rivera
