Vikings Split Doubleheader with CSUF and UPSL Cal Rush

Contributed by Cameron Beaulac:

The Long Beach City College men's soccer team opened its spring schedule with a competitive doubleheader on Saturday, March 8, at home. The Vikings narrowly fell to NCAA Division I Cal State Fullerton, 5-4, before rebounding with a dominant 4-0 win over UPSL's Cal Rush. This marked the first of four spring doubleheaders for LBCC.

In the opener against Fullerton, LBCC struck first after earning a free kick just outside the left edge of the penalty box. Ulysses Grado delivered a dangerous ball across the goalmouth, which was deflected in to give the Vikings an early 1-0 advantage. The Titans responded with a penalty kick goal in the 28th minute and converted a second penalty just five minutes later to take a 2-1 lead. With under five minutes remaining in the half, Asael Sales slipped a perfectly weighted pass to Jose Mariscal, who controlled it cleanly and buried the equalizer into the side netting from the top of the box.

Early in the second half, LBCC reclaimed the lead when Jeremy Cabanis made a slicing run and fired home a first-time shot off a pass from Eric Diaz, putting the Vikings up 3-2. However, Fullerton surged back with three unanswered goals. Mariscal added his second of the match late in the half off a Carlos Reyes assist, but the Vikings were unable to find an equalizer despite two more quality chances before the final whistle.

With only a brief 10-minute break, the Vikings returned to the field to take on UPSL Cal Rush. Looking to bounce back, LBCC wasted no time. Carlos Reyes carried the ball forward and found Victor Quiroz on a well-timed run. Quiroz calmly finished to give Long Beach the early lead. Just five minutes later, Reyes tallied another assist, setting up Cabanis for his second goal of the day.

The Vikings extended their lead to 3-0 in the 35th minute, as Jerimiah Omishakin latched onto a through ball from Sales and tucked it past the keeper. In the closing minutes, Quiroz completed his brace with a tap-in off another Sales assist, giving Sales a total of four assists on the day.

Goalkeepers Fabio Ardizolla and Ricky Alfaro combined for the clean sheet, while strong performances came from midfielder Edwin Rodriguez and defenders Roberto Orozco and Mac Valencia.