The Art of Defending - Soccer

On October 17, 2017, the Hartnell College Men’s Soccer team faced Las Positas College in a great showdown; as both teams were vying for the top spot in the Coast-North conference in hopes of a conference title down the line. Hartnell boasts two of the best defenders in the conference in sophomores, Christian Santibanez and Marco Zepeda, who make things on the defensive side look easy for the Panthers. “We know we’re good defensively to play against anyone in the state,” stated Coach Daniel Ortega. Hartnell recently had 7 shutouts on the season, and currently are 5th in state in the shutout category, thus there is no denying the defense is a strength for this 2017 team. First year player from Soledad High School (#25) Jorge Mederos, has taken the lead guarding some of the fastest wings in the conference, giving freshman Goalkeeper (#1) Jesus Para that much more trust in his teammates. On the first half, both teams played great defensively. Goal opportunities came and went, but neither could connect making it 0-0 at the half. The Panthers have found success on the defensive side; however, have had some trouble being unable to score. “I feel maybe we are a little more skillful than other teams,” Coach Ortega adds. There were a few moments where Hartnell had the opportunity to score, yet the final ended up being 0-0 tie giving the team an 8-2-3 overall season record and a 3-1-2 in conference play. On Friday, October 20, the Men’s Soccer team visited Cañada College. The Panthers were not only excited to travel, but were most enthusiastic to play soccer! The Panthers started off slow, letting Canada score at the 5-minute mark to give them a brief 1-0 lead. However, minutes later (#21) Zack Scheufele scored off a header assisted by (#16) Adrian Chavez, sending off both teams with 1-1 tie into halftime. During the second half, (#18) Adrian Serrato, scored twice in a row off an amazing free kick and an assisted goal by keeper (#1) Jesus Para at the 61’, 62’ minute marks, giving Hartnell the lead with a 3-1 score. (#7) Anthony Hurtado, later scored at minute 66’ assisted by (#21) Zack Scheufele, for a 4-1 lead, however, the Panthers were not done; as (#5) Jorge Cerna assisted off a cross pass to (#15) Luis Franco in the final minute (90’) securing Hartnell’s victory with a final score of 5-1 over Canada. Canada had a 5-1-6 overall record, heading into the match against Hartnell with an above .500 winning average so, this was a big game with playoff implications. Coach Ortega adds, “Most impressive win of the season so far, just because they had a winning record and sit well for payoffs.” Hartnell now stands with a 9-2-3 (.750) overall record and a 4-1-2 (.714) conference record. After the match against Cañada, the team is in a great position as playoffs come around. Hartnell hosts Chabot on Tuesday, October 24, at 4 p.m. Go Panthers!