The Chargers took to the field Saturday morning looking to earn their second victory in eight days. They were able to complete that task by outscoring the Lakers of Lakeland Community College, 3-2.
Freshman midfielder Santiago Morales got the scoring going early, as he found the net approximately five minutes into the game off of an assist from fellow Freshman midfielder Jared Garcia. Morales was a big part of the offense in the first half, as he again scored midway through the opening period on another nice assist from Freshman midfielder/defender Javier Guerra. All in all, the Chargers took care of the ball well and kept Lakeland out of scoring range for most of the open period.
As the Chargers took the field for the second half, the Lakers came out in attack mode and were able to narrow the deficit to 2-1 about 10 minutes into the second stanza. Per Coach Kirk Weiss, "in the last few games, a goal against us would rattle us, but today the guys kept battling."
Sure enough, the Freshman Guerra delivered a beautiful cross to Freshman forward Abe Rebollo who took it out of the air and put it into the back of the net, extending the lead to 3-1. The Lakers were able to find the goal one more time in the second period, cutting the lead to 3-2, but the Chargers continued to put pressure on Lakeland's back line, plus they were able to recover quickly and not allow another Laker score for the remainder of the contest. Freshman forward Ashton Macedonio even polished off the victory by intelligently taking the ball to the corner and keeping it away from Lakeland defenders as time expired.
Coach Weiss was pleased with today's execution, stating that "today the guys played within the game plan and trusted their teammates. This was a much-needed victory so we have momentum for the last three games of the season. (I'm) extremely proud of the effort from the guys today!" Goaltender Tolulope Oluwafemi, another Freshman, collected five saves on the day, while the team issued nine shots on goal, scoring three goals and assisting on each goal.
The Chargers have a week away from competition, as they next play Saturday, October 14, at Lake Michigan College in Benton Harbor, Michigan. This is a MCCAA matchup, with kickoff scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
