The men’s soccer team squared off against conference rival American River College under the lights on Sept. 27.
Midfielder Joel Torres initiated high hopes for the Hawks, putting the ball in the back of the net only three minutes into the game.
The fire didn’t last long, as ARC responded with what head coach Ron Preble described as a more “direct style” of play.
“Right when we score, we get too excited,” said Hawks’ freshman captain and midfielder Bernie Gonzalez. “We’re running like wild animals after that. We need to contain. We need to stay solid.”
Throughout the game, the Beavers maintained control of the ball and shut down any CRC attempts to intercept in the midfield.
Fifteen minutes in, a dash towards the goalkeeper was halted dead in its tracks when defender Mohamed Jaqun was stopped just yards before the goal line.
By the end of the first half, ARC evened the score 1-1.
At the start of the second half, CRC freshman forward Rigoberto Gomez laid a successful play and gave the team another goal, all in the first two minutes.
ARC responded to the pressure quickly, landing a goal of their own not one minute later.
Both teams fought for the next half hour, each working hard to tip the scales. Each growing desperate in the restless confrontation, with failed goal attempts, constant offside calls and several injuries.
During stoppage time, ARC managed a final goal midfield, sealing the deal at 3-2.
With three ties and three losses preceding, It’s now seven games since the Hawks’ last victory.
Taking note of the result, defender Demitri Fellines argued that in order to make the next game a victory the team needs to be more predatory.
“After the first goal, the next minutes are telling minutes,” he said. “The opposing team gets scored on and feels like crap, and if the other team is a technically and mentally skilled team, they’re going to keep attacking them.”
Fellines hinted that the Hawks seem to have a hard time closing out games.
“Kick them while they’re down,” he continued. “You have to go for the throat. In this case, we let AR get back up and square with us again. We don’t have that killer instinct. We have it to score the first goal, but not two or three more in the next minutes.”
