Men's soccer team scores late, ties Rio Hondo
Aug 27, 2008
The Irvine Valley men’s soccer team was down, but never out.
The Lasers battled back from a two-goal deficit to earn a 2-2 tie in its opening match of the 2008 season against Rio Hondo on Wednesday at IVC.
The Lasers got the game-tying goal from freshman forward Anthony Ramos with just one minute left in the contest.
Sophomore defender Troy Chavez lofted a pass over the Roadrunner defense. Ramos beat goalie Javier Gonzalez to the ball, flicked it past Gonzalez and then found the net from a tough angle on the right side.
"Anthony did super," McGrogan said. "He not only made the play, but he was composed the whole time. He knew exactly what he wanted to do with the ball."
Rio Hondo got on the board first. Alan Ponce scored on a line drive shot from the right side off a cross from Carlos Gomez.
Ponce was at it again early in the second half to put the Roadrunners up, 2-0. In the 55th minute, he took a pass from Phillip Cervantez and scored.
The Lasers cut it to a 2-1 game in the 69th minute on a nifty goal from sophomore midfielder Roberto Linck. The Brazilian native scored on a free kick from just outside the box. He sent a right-footed shot over the wall and curved it just inside the left post and by the out-stretched arms of Gonzalez.
"Not surprising," McGrogan said. "Those are the type of things he can do. It was a great goal."
Linck nearly tied the game up with four minutes to play on a left-footed blast from the middle of the box, but Gonzalez made the save.
Ramos came through shortly after, though, to earn the tie for IVC.
"It was the first game and Rio Hondo is always a good club," McGrogan said. "I am a bit disappointed in the goals we gave away, but I was delighted with the attitude of the boys and the way they kept working."
McGrogan said he was impressed with the play of returning players Linck, Chavez, forward Bruno Sad and defender Michael Sweeney. He also thought Bryan Castillo (Irvine High) played well when he came on in the second half.
"We are going to do fine as long as the players continue to show the commitment," McGrogan said. "We have enough ability on our side. They just need to keep working together all over the field."
Irvine Valley plays again this Friday and Saturday in the Hartnell Tournament.