Rams easily defeat undermanned Mission College

Rams Freshman Mattieu Dubray (in middle) looks to get possession of the ball. JESSICA LUTHI / GUARDSMAN

By Graham Henderson
Staff Writer

City College’s mens soccer team routed the undermanned squad from Santa Clara’s Mission College in an 8-0 shutout on Oct. 14, moving the Rams to a record of 11-1-1 in their 2008 season.

The match begun with Mission College arriving at San Francisco’s Crocker Amazon Park ten minutes after the scheduled kickoff time and with only nine players. Rams sophomore forward Wilson Jimenez got his team off to an early start, scoring a goal off his own rebound during the first minute of game play.

Immediately after Jimenez’s goal the Rams regained possession of the ball, allowing sophomore midfielder Alejandro Uribe to blast a long shot in for the Rams’ second goal.
The Rams continued their early assault with sophomore midfielder Shea Whelan connecting the Rams’ third goal off a corner kick. Freshman midfielder Matthieu Dubray followed by driving straight through the Saints’ goalkeeper, putting the Rams up 4-0 within the first five minutes of play.

After blowing the game wide open, the Rams focused on using the opposing team to hone their own skills.

“Traditionally, Mission hasn’t been that strong of an opponent, so we knew that we could practice a lot of things,” Rams assistant coach Jesus Hernandez said. “We basically tried new people, tried different things, and that’s why it seemed like it slowed down a little bit.”

Despite several substitutions within the first 10 minutes, the Rams kept firm control over the pace of the game. Having two fewer players on the field than City College kept Mission from attempting any shots on the Rams’ goal during the first half.

Rams freshman forward Ivan Lopez led the way in the second half with a perfectly placed long shot that found the top corner of the net. Freshman Percy Jimenez followed with another long goal, putting the Rams up 6-0.

Lopez followed up with an impressive second goal off a header midway through the second half. Even as the linesmen struggled to keep track of the Rams’ high score, freshmen midfielder Martin Castaneda added insult to the Saints’ injury with an final goal during second half injury-time that trickled straight through the Don’s goalkeeper’s hands, giving the Rams their 8-0 victory. Mission ended the game with only one shot on the Rams’ goal.