Canyons ties Vaqueros 1-1 on late goal

SBCC scored in the ninth minute on Friday night and led for most of the WSC men's soccer match before Canyons found the net in the 81st minute to pull out a 1-1 tie at La Playa Stadium. The game was eerily similar to the first meeting on Sept. 22 when the Cougars scored in the 78th minute to secure a 3-3 tie.

It was the fourth straight tie for both the Vaqueros (6-3-6, 2-2-6) and the Cougars (3-4-7, 3-2-6).

Daniel Gail, a freshman from Santa Ynez High, took a sideways pass from William Joyce and bounced a shot off the keeper's hands for a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute. SBCC outshot the visitors 11-2 in the first half and 20-8 for the game.

"I saw an opening in the middle and Billy gave me a good set-up," said Gail. "I wasn't sure if it went in or not but I was happy when it did. We definitely won the first half but the finish was very disappointing. Our shape kind of faltered toward the end."

The Vaqueros had nine shots on-goal and the Cougars managed just two with both coming late in the second half. Canyons didn't have a shot on-goal until the 81st minute when Anthony Salvadori found the net to tie it at 1-1.

The Cougars had several chances in the last 10 minutes, hitting the right post with a hard shot and then having a shot by Oscar Sanchez denied by SBCC goalie Zac Gottlieb in extra time.

SBCC freshman Nicolas Genthon, who moved from forward to defender, had a nice bicycle-kick clearance in the 78th minute and his header was saved by Canyons' goalie Cristian Arriaga in the 90th minute. Arriaga had eight saves in the match.

"We played well in the first half," said coach John Sisterson. "This can be a tricky surface and we tell the boys to keep it on the floor. That goal by us took an awkward bounce but we'll take it.

"We worked hard and we were organized. Right at the end, we had a poor clearance and they took advantage of a long throw-in. That's exactly the way it happened at Canyons in our first meeting.

"We lost our shape and lost our confidence a little at the end."

SBCC hosts first-place Oxnard (11-2-3, 9-1-1) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.