College of the Canyons men’s soccer’s attack was something like a dance in its 1-0 loss to Fullerton College on Tuesday night at home.
For instance, Jamie Ledezma waltzed the ball into the Cougars’ attacking third before twisting and turning to get the ball to Cesar Dominguez.
Unable to get a shot off, Dominguez passed the ball to Justin Marquez in tango-like fashion. Marquez’s shot went wide as the end of the game neared.
“A lot of attacks that we had were counterattacks, and I think we should’ve finished it,” Dominguez, a Valencia grad, said.
MORE: Freshman scores two goals in COC women’s soccer win
“I should’ve shot every single one I had, but I decided to keep dribbling … But I think we could’ve won this game easily. But it happens.”
Defensively, Canyons (1-1) was able to hold off Fullerton (1-1) until nine minutes into the second half when Miles Metoyer scored with an assist from Cesar Coronado.
The defending third is the primary focus for COC, which brings a young roster into this season.
“We’re OK with other teams possessing the ball, as long as when we get it we’re productive with it,” said COC coach Phil Marcellin. “Tonight, we just weren’t productive with it.”
Although the Cougars could lure away opposing defenders to the outside at times, the Hornets defense played hard when it mattered. Fullerton swarmed any attacker that came within the box.
It complicated the scoring process for COC, despite its speed and ball-handling abilities.
“They came with two (defenders), so sometimes I would lose it or I would have to pass it back,” Dominguez said. “They played very well defensively”
COC next plays at home against Oxnard on Sept. 5.
Until then, the Cougars are focusing on the progress their freshman-heavy team has made so far.
“As a team, we played fantastic,” Dominguez said. “We stayed organized, we didn’t give up. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the ‘W,’ but we played awesome, and we can learn from our mistakes.”
