REDDING, Calif. - The Simpson men's soccer team secured an important win over Cal Maritime, cruising to a 3-0 victory in what is their first win of the season.
Now 1-9-2, the men's team has taken a huge monkey off its back and can now look forward to some success in conference play.
In the 7th minute of the game,
Adrien Martinez got the ball in midfield and took it all the way into the box, before slotting it home for his first goal of the season. The man behind many assists put the Red Hawks up 1-0.
Just a little later, in the 13th minute, some skillful maneuvering by
Ariel Perez-Aviles landed the ball at the feet of
Jonathen Garcia Virgen, who then took a shot from about 25 yards out, which curled past Maritime's goalkeeper into the top corner. 2-0, Simpson.
The Keelhaulers came back with some good play of their own, forcing
Jacopo Trolese to make some important saves. In the 34th minute, Simpson came back with some attacking play of their own, forcing a penalty.
Miguel Ortiz lined up for a penalty shot. However, Cal Maritime's goalkeeper Fabian Garcia made a diving save to keep it a 2-0 game in the first half.
In the second half, Simpson seemed content to pass the ball around and keep possession.
The second half was very back and forth, with both defenses being put to the test. The Keelhaulers made some heavy tackles after the 70th minute, with yellow cards being handed to Cal Maritime's Sam Jauregui and Matthew Yoon.
In the 79th minute, a corner taken by
David Clavijo found the head of
Sergio Garibay, who headed it home for an insurance goal to make it 3-0. A hefty celebration led to a yellow card for Garibay, Simpson's captain.
The game ended at 3-0, and the Red Hawks improved their record to 1-3-1 in conference play.
The Red Hawks have one more road game left, where they will travel to Angwin, California, to take on the Pacific Union Pioneers, before returning home for their final two games of the season against Stanton University and Westcliff University.
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