Muntari nets two goals and two assists in 5-0 shutout

Ameyawu Muntari tallied two goals and two assists on Friday afternoon, leading SBCC to a 5-0 shutout of San Bernardino Valley in a men's soccer match at La Playa Stadium.

The 5-4 freshman from Techiman, Ghana took a long, high pass from Zachary Sneddon and beat the keeper 1 v 1 to the right post for a 1-0 lead in the 10th minute. In the 20th minute, Muntari tried to pass to Victor Chavez but the ball bounced past him and right onto the foot of Matt Wilkinson who scored from 12 yards out for a 2-0 advantage.

Muntari boosted the lead to 3-0 at the 37:27 mark on a pretty give-and-go with Wilkerson on the right side. Wilkerson is a 6-4 sophomore from England.

"We're getting to know each other better," said Muntari, one of 13 foreign players on the roster from countries like England, Australia, Ghana, Brazil, Germany, Sweden and Norway. "We've only been together for a short period of time and we're getting better every game. I like playing with Matty and Victor because they're more physical than me."

The Vaqueros improved to 3-0 and handed the Wolverines (2-3) their third straight setback. SBCC led 3-0 at the half and enjoyed a 10-2 lead in shots.

"Muntari has been creating really well and he obviously loves the game," said coach John Sisterson. "We looked better going forward today. We have a lot of guys who can score goals with individual brilliance and they turned it on today.

"It was also nice to keep a clean sheet."

Shane Pitcock and the defense got their first shutout of the year. The Vaqueros outshot the Wolverines 18-7, including 11-3 in shots on goal.

Chavez notched his fourth goal of the season in the 59th minute on another give-and-go with Muntari. Chavez, who's scored a goal in all three games this year, found the net from eight yards out.

Chavez nearly scored again at the 75:10 mark but couldn't chase down a slow-rolling shot that went OB just outside the left post.

Aarin Johnson, a sophomore defender from London, England, entered the game in the 74th minute and found the net less than three minutes later for the final goal. At the 76:50 mark, Carlos Espinoza tried a free kick from the left side of the box. He chipped the ball in and Johnson scored after a tussle with a defender in the box.

"Overall, the performance was good," Sisterson stated. "At times, it got a little bit scrappy (each team had three yellow cards). I thought our defense was tough all day."

SBCC travels to Bakersfield on Tuesday for a 5 p.m. nonconference game.