IRVINE, Calif. (September 20, 2017) – With renewed vigor and hopes of moving into eighth place, and final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings, Orange County Soccer Club head to Sandy, Utah on Friday to take on first place Real Monarchs SLC.
Striking performances by Zach Kobayashi, Jerry Van Ewijk and Irvin Parra confirmed Orange County SC have what it takes to press their opponent and come out on top. In his first regular season appearance for Orange County SC, goalkeeper Casey Beyers kept Vancouver at bay throughout the first half. But it was Orange County’s Zach Kobayashi who, capitalizing on a pass from Irvin Parra that took him into the left side of the penalty box, scored the first goal of the night in the 40th minute. In the 55th minute of the match, coming off of a low cross by teammate Terran Campbell, Vancouver’s Marco Bustos scored his eighth goal of the season. Vancouver was close to scoring a second goal of the night in the 62nd minute but was greatly denied the opportunity by Orange County SC defender Joe Franco who headed off the attempt at the far-left post. Irvin Parra played front man once again in the 83rd minute, setting up Jerry Van Ewijk who, from 16 yards out, catapulted the ball into the top of the net for Orange County’s game winning goal.
Orange County SC look to keep the rhythm going as they meet Real Monarchs SLC on Friday for the third matchup this year. The first showdown took place in preseason with Orange County SC scoring three goals and winning the match. In their first regular season matchup, Orange County came close to taking a point against the league leaders but in the end, fell 1-0. The goal came within the first minute of play as Chandler Hoffman scored on a cross by Charlie Adams. Orange County SC responded with two shots on goal in the first fifteen minutes of play by Wuilito Fernandes and continued its aggressive push notching five shots in the final ten minutes of the match. The biggest chance of the night came from the penalty spot but Orange County were unable to convert and share the points. A win this weekend for Orange County could see them return to the Western Conference playoff spots.
Orange County SC will conclude their third road match in fourteen days when they travel to Colorado Springs to take on the Colorado Springs Switchbacks on Saturday September 30th.
About Orange County Soccer Club
The Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s Professional Soccer Team. The club was one of 12 founding members of the new United Soccer League (USL) in its inaugural 2011 season. The predecessor club Orange County Blues were the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Champions and have reached the Western Conference semi-finals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The club’s brand-new owner, James Keston, is the Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, and will actively oversee all operations of the USL club in Orange County. Keston is dedicated to transforming the club into a world-class professional soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players, and youth clubs of Orange County.
Contact: Kelly Salmieri: VP, Marketing & Community Relations, kelly@https://www.orangecountysoccer.com, 805.844.0856