Sanchez's goal lifts Pirates past Lasers, 1-0
| 00:00 - 2nd | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Irvine Valley (3-6-8,3-4-3) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast (8-4-2,7-2-1) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
COSTA MESA -- Jorge Sanchez made a difficult shot look easy as he ripped a top-spin goal from 20 yards out to lead the Orange Coast College men's soccer team to a hard-fought, 1-0 win over visiting Irvine Valley College on Friday afternoon.
With both teams battling to a scoreless stalemate for the first 50 minutes of play, Sanchez took a long pass from Pedro Erhechury down the right side, saw some room far side and sent a high shot full of top-spin that went over the outstretched arms of IVC netminder Bryce Williamson and into the upper-left corner of the net.
That turned out to be all the Pirates (8-4-2, 7-2-1 in Orange Empire Conference) would need against the Lasers (3-6-8, 3-4-3), but it made for some dicey moments down the stretch.
Irvine Valley had a couple of scoring opportunities late in the match, but the Lasers either sent those shots wide of the net, or into the 6-foot-5 frame of OCC goaltender Nathan Brown, who earned the shutout win with five saves.
With the win, the Pirates (22 points) move to within one point of first place in the OEC, thanks to a 2-2 tie for Santa Ana (23 points) against Santiago Canyon on Friday. SCC and Golden West are tied for third with 17 points apiece.
A HUGE week of soccer awaits the Pirates next week as they play at third-place Golden West on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before their big home showdown with the first-place Dons on Friday at 3 p.m. at the OCC Soccer Complex.
