Lancer No. 22 Briley Venti fight for the ball against Mt.Sac No.12 Benjamin Jimenez at Mt.Sac. Lancers lost 2-1 on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. (Scott Spencer/courier)
The men’s soccer team lost 2-1 to conference leaders and home team Mt. San Antonio College in heartbreaking fashion on Tuesday.
With the game seemingly destined to end a tie with four minutes from the end, the referee called a foul on the Lancers . A quick long ball then caught the PCC defense off-guard and the Mounties headed the match-clinching goal into the net.
Even though PCC fell to a 3-5-1 conference record after the loss, head coach Edgar Manvelyan was satisfied with his team’s performance and is optimistic about the latter part of the season.
“It was an amazing game, we played fantastic soccer for 90 minutes. We came out to play,” Manvelyan said. “We are ready for the second round of play, we are going to surprise a few teams, as we’ve done well in the last half of the season the last few seasons. Our goal is to make the playoffs and to get into the top 14 teams.”
The Lancers committed a cardinal sin by conceding an own goal in the 28th minute but fought back early in the second half when sophomore Edgar Menendez squared the contest up at 1-1.
PCC out-shot the Mounties 10-6 but couldn’t come out on top due to some sensational goalkeeping. Lancer’s co-captain George Barba hit a free kick sweetly, but the Mt. SAC goalkeeper pulled out a miraculous save by leaping from post-to-post. According to Manvelyan, his side was up against a top class goalie.
“Their keeper made some great saves. He was big and is one of the best keepers in the league,” Manvelyan said.
Freshman Eric Benitez was the standout performer for the Lancers by controlling the middle for the entire contest.
“Eric Benitez in particular had an amazing game and he was a key part of the game for us,” Manvelyan said.
The midfielder’s motivation was linked to his aspirations beyond junior college. Benitez hopes to gain a scholarship at Cal State LA and would ultimately like to crack the professional level.
“You never know who is out there scouting, when you get the chance show yourself that you can play,” Benitez said.
The Lancers tackle El Camino in an away game on Friday at 3 p.m.
Before the last minute loss to Mt. SAC, the men’s soccer team broke its three game losing streak with a 2-1 win against El-Camino CC on Friday at Robinson Stadium.
Lancers goal-keeper David Orellana was the main reason why his side prevailed because he made eight crucial saves. Christian Palacios and Kris Carvajal were Pasadena’s goal-scorers, with both goals coming in the first half.
This win was a huge relief for the home team after conceding 13 goals in their three previous games.
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