Viking Men's Soccer Comes from Behind to Tie PCC, 2-2

The Long Beach City College men's soccer team rounded out regular season action on Thursday evening with a showdown against the Pasadena City College Lancers on their home pitch. In a game that featured physical play and clutch moments, the Vikings were able to work towards a 2-2 draw with a goal off a free kick in the final seconds of action.

Long Beach sandwiched the game with two scores, first starting with a score in the second minute of play. Freshman midfielder Jorge Garcia set up a nice shot for freshman forward Edgar Gonzalez who was just outside of the box and he promptly buried the shot in the lower left pocket for the 1-0 advantage.

However, two significant defensive mishaps occurred in the contest that allowed the Lancers to eventually work towards a 2-1 lead after the 55th minute to put the Vikings in full attack mode for the reaminder of the contest.

Following the Lancers grabbing the lead, the Vikings stepped up their defensive play which was highlighted by three massive saves from freshman goalkeeper Saul Ocampo. Sophomore defenders Victor Naves and Hector Rojo were on point by cutting off lanes and setting up positive momentum.

In the final minute of action, the Lancers were called for a foul to set up a free kick for the Vikings. Rojo took the shot and saw an opening near the far post which he brilliantly curved directly past the diving Lancer goalkeeper and a defensive wall to tie up the game and end in a 2-2 draw.

The Vikings end their regular season action with an overall recorded of 6-8-7 which includes a conference record of 5-2-1. They will await their playoff fate following the El Camino vs. Cerritos contest tomorrow. If Cerritos ties or loses, the Vikings will haul in their second-consecutive South Coast Conference (SCC) crown.