Pirates open OEC play with 5-1 win over Norco
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Norco (1-3-2, 0-1-0) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
|
Orange Coast (3-1-1, 1-0-0) | 3 | 2 | 5 |
COSTA MESA -- The Orange Coast College men's soccer team opened Orange Empire Conference play with a convincing 5-1 win over visiting Norco College on Tuesday at the OCC Soccer Complex.
Coast (3-1-1, 1-0-0) wasted no time to grab the advantage as Taylor Kane fed a perfect pass into the goal area, where teammate Jack Slavik buried the one-timer in the 7th minute of play.
Just 12 minutes later, Peter Marquez used his athletic ability to run past the Mustangs' defense and force a breakaway foul inside the Norco goalie box, enabling Kane to bury a penalty kick opportunity for a 2-0 OCC advantage.
In the 25th minute, Nick Cardenas drilled a long clearing pass behind the Norco defense and Marquez again was the better player as he fought off a charging goalkeeper and calmly found the back of the net to put the Pirates up 3-0.
After nearly scoring late in the first half, Norco (1-3-2, 0-1-1) used the favorable second-half wind and took advantage of an OCC miscue in the back as Adrian Magana went in 1-on-1 with OCC goalkeeper Osiel Porcayo and scored to make it 3-1.
Porcayo shook off the goal allowed and made a key save five minutes later and from there, the Mustangs did not threaten the of the way. The sophomore netminder finished with three saves, while Norco GK Cesar Nunez finished with five saves.
In the 73rd minute, Norco returned the favor as Kane took a defensive turnover and ripped a shot past Nunez to make it 4-1.
The Pirates capped off the scoring just five minutes later as Hugo Enriquez fed Garen Balikcioglu, who slipped a shot from a sharp angle past Nunez for OCC's fifth goal of the contest.
Coast will return to action on Friday at home against L.A. Harbor College, beginning at 1 p.m.
