The El Camino College men’s soccer team’s first game within the California Community College Athletics Association Southern California Regionals ended with a commanding 6-0 shutout win against Bakersfield College at the El Camino College Soccer Field on Saturday, Nov. 18.
The game started tense with the two teams playing aggressively for the first 20 minutes of the first half; with both the Warriors and the Renegades defense on high alert.
At the 21-minute mark, the Warriors gained momentum as forward Marvin Gamez netted the first goal of the game.
Four minutes later, another goal from Gamez at the 25-minute mark gave the Warriors a further lead and the team never looked back.
El Camino goalie Donovan Palomares was three for three during the first half. The goalie had three saves for each of the Renegades’ close-range shot attempts.
“We were nervous at the beginning of the game and we had to play being aware and prepared,” Palomares said.“The hardest goal of the game for me to block was a close-range attempt in the second half of the game.”
Although they still had no scores on the board the second half of the game would see Bakersfield continuing playing aggressively with pressure on offense.
The Warriors’ defense protected the goalie box, only allowing three attempted shots on goal.
The second half would also see El Camino score four more goals. Every score by El Camino was a cause for celebration as team members ran to high-five each other after each goal.
One of the most impressive scores of the game was the fifth goal where Bakersfield’s goalie Cesar Navarro attempted to kick the ball away but missed. El Camino seized on the mistake and quickly kicked the ball past the goalie and into the net.
As aggressive as Bakersfield played, they were ultimately not able to score any goals the entire game with the Warriors playing a great defense.
Midfielder Juan Gomez expressed confidence in his performance when talking to The Union.
“I had more confidence in this game than in my last; this team is like a family to me,” Gomez said.
Forward Jovanny Mejia spoke positively about the team’s performance.
“The game started difficult, but after scoring our first goal, we kept possession,” Mejia said.
The Warriors had already faced the Renegades once this season on Sept. 26. That game was also an El Camino shutout victory of 4-0.
Coach Michael Jacobson has been with the team for five seasons. He reflected on the team’s performance after the game.
“Overall our defense was effective and the team played and finished the game very well, scoring the first goal of the game is crucial in playoffs,” Jacobson said.
The Warrior’s previous game was on Nov. 10 against Mt. San Antonio College in the South Coast Conference Tournament Final. El Camino won 3-0 during that match.
“This year we scored 97 goals and [Made] 13 shutouts which shows good defense,” Jacobson said.
Speaking to The Union Palomares discussed the team’s headspace moving onto regional playoffs.
Beyond the 13 shutouts this season the Warriors’ defense has yet to allow a goal in their three playoff games.
“We were nervous at the beginning of the game and we had to play being aware and prepared,” Palomares said.
The next game for El Camino men’s soccer is on Nov. 21 against Mt. San Antonio College at El Camino College in the second round of the regional playoffs.
