Pirates claim OEC title for first time in 22 years!

NORCO -- It wasn't the easiest way to do things, but the Orange Coast College men's soccer team managed to notch its first Orange Empire Conference men's soccer title in 22 years on Friday, thanks to a pair of season-ending stalemates.

Thanks to a goal by Brice Manning in the 87th minute of play, the Pirates squeaked out a 1-1 tie at Norco College on Friday and with the help of Golden West College, which tied Santa Ana, 0-0, the Pirates were able to stake claim to first place alone in the OEC.

The Pirates wrapped up conference play at 9-2-3 (30 points), two points ahead of the Dons (8-2-4, 28 points) and three points ahead of Santiago Canyon (8-3-3, 27 points).

In a season with so many unknowns with such a freshman-heavy squad, head coach Kevin Smith didn't know what to expect heading into 2013, but as the season went on, things began to click.

"Going into our last match, we expected our guys to go out there and get the job done, so it was disappointing to end with a tie," Smith said. "Our assistant coach (Glenn Strachan) was talking to a reporter when he heard all of the guys yelling and screaming because they heard Santa Ana tied Golden West, so when that news came out, we were all thrilled with being conference champions."

Trailing the Mustangs 1-0 with less than 3 minutes to go, the Pirates threw everything they could at the Norco defense. Finally, off of corner kick by Jorge Sanchez, the ball went to the far post, where teammate Brice Manning headed the ball back inside the near post, tying the match at 1.

Nathan Brown, OCC's freshman goalie who has been outstanding during OEC play, notched five saves.

"It's been an amazing run so far and now we're all excited to see what happens in the playoffs," Smith said. "I'm extremely proud of these guys for accomplishing something that hasn't been done around here in 22 years.