Men’s Team Disappointed After Seasons’ First Loss

Sophomore+midfielder+Alex+Echevierra+racing+for+an+attack+on+goal+against+West+Hills+Lemoore+defender+Pete+Hawken+on+Tuesday%2C+Nov.+5%2C+2019

Photo by: Derek Bullis

Sophomore midfielder Alex Echevierra racing for an attack on goal against West Hills Lemoore defender Pete Hawken on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019

The Rams were handed their first loss of the season Tuesday afternoon in a matchup that ended 0-1 against the West Hills Lemoore Golden Eagles.

“That game has been brewing for a while,” said head coach Eric Solberg following the match.

It was a sluggish start, but the Rams maintained primary possession of the ball for the entire game said Solberg.

“But it is what it is,” he said disappointed in the wake of his teams first loss of the season.

“We played a bunch of games where we just can’t score and somehow score a goal and pull it off,” said Solberg. “That game has been coming, it’s just kinda hard to fathom.”

The Rams dominated the pitch and battled the Eagles’ defense only to get shut down at every attempt.

It was the Eagles’ freshman goalkeeper Sergio Sierra who put a stop to a total of 12 shots on goal and didn’t let a single ball slip by him.

The Eagles narrowly brought home the victory with only five shots on goal.

Rams’ goalkeeper Rodrigo Selingardi stopped two of those shots, but the second half keeper Evan Ghimenti let one shot slip by him at the the 62:00 minute mark.

“That goal was a mistake on our part,” said Solberg. He says that scoring has been the team’s Achilles’ heel all season long.

“An undefeated team losing to a 3-10 team,” he said after the anemic offensive performance.

The Rams have scraped together their last several wins by slim margins, failing to score more than two goals in all but one of their past six matches.

Going into their bye week, Solberg says he is already focusing on continuing to lead his team to win the conference.

“All we can do is try to move forward,” said Solberg.

This loss was the Rams’ final home match of the season. Finishing off the final two matches, they will be on the road playing against Taft College on Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. and College of the Sequoias on Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.