Pirates hang on for 3-2 win over Dons

COSTA MESA -- Apparently the formula of success for the Orange Coast College men's soccer team is quite simple ... 10 is greater than 11.

All kidding aside, for the second straight match, the Pirates spend over 40 minutes of action with less men on the field than the other team and for the second straight match ... it didn't matter as OCC claimed its second straight win of the season.

Unlike Friday's win over Santiago Canyon (a 4-2 win after trailing 2-0), Tuesday's win saw the Pirates jump out to a 2-0 lead, lose a player, then lead 3-0 before fighting off a furious comeback attempt by the Dons. 

Coast grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 9th minute when Floresta Damiano ripped a one-timer shot off of a header deflection from Grayson Marquez and the shot zipped past SAC goalkeeper Josh Flores and into the back of the net.

It became 2-0 in the 40th minute when Nico Pacheco sent a perfect pass to teammate Saif Shaker, who controlled the ball and outlasted Flores before kicking into an empty net, putting the Pirates further ahead before the break.

After going down a player in the 52nd minute, OCC had to hang on and not only did the Pirates do that, they even padded the lead to 3-0 in the 79th minute when Damiano beat his defender down the sideline, then slipped a perfect pass across the goalie mouth to Qhawe Makaula, who headed the ball into the unattended net.

That three-goal lead didn't last a full minute because Santa Ana's Edwin Flores scored in the 80th minute and again in the 90th minute to trim the lead down to 3-2, putting Coast on the ropes.

Finally, after a corner-kick attempt was stopped by Michael Matzuy for his seventh and final save of the afternoon, the whistle blew, giving the Pirates a huge home victory over the rival Dons.

Coast will return to action on Friday at Fullerton College, beginning at 6 p.m. OCC's next home match will be on Tuesday against Cypress College, beginning at 3 p.m.