Orange County SC played to a chippy 0-0 tie with El Paso Locomotive FC on Saturday, September 9 at Championship Stadium in Irvine, CA. The draw extended OCSC’s unbeaten run to nine matches.
The Black and Orange had the first chance of the night in the 18th minute as midfielder Kevin Partida headed it towards forward Milan Iloski. Iloski got a soft touch on the ball and played defender Ryan Doghman through on goal. Doghman fired a shot that went just over the crossbar.
The home team continued on the attack in the 21st minute after a hard tackle by El Paso defender Marc Navarro led to an Orange County SC free kick. Midfielder Brian Iloski’s free kick sailed high and to the right of the crossbar.
Orange County SC appeared to have their best chance of the first half in the 28th minute after Milan Iloski forced a turnover that fell to the feet of midfielder Kyle Scott. Scott then played Iloski in through on goal, but Iloski was taken down by Navarro in the box. Play however, was waived on.
El Paso had their first chance of the night in the 29th minute as forward Ricardo Zacarias found forward Aaron Gómez on the left side of the box. Gómez fired a shot with his left foot that went wide right of the post.
El Paso midfielder Louis Herrera sent in a through ball behind the OCSC defense in the 38th minute to Zacarías. Zacarías fired a left-footed strike from the left side of the box that just missed the near post.
Despite strong attacking efforts from both teams, the sides went into the break tied 0-0.
Orange County SC had the first chance of the second half in the 56th minute as midfielder Seth Casiple found forward Thomas Amang streaking on the right side of the box. Amang’s right-footed-strike sailed over the crossbar.
OCSC had another opportunity in the 58th minute as Milan Iloski tapped it to his brother, midfielder Brian Iloski. Brian’s shot from deep outside the box was saved in the center of the goal by El Paso goalkeeper Benny Diaz.
The Iloski brothers looked to combine again in the 59th minute, after Milan played a give and go with Amang and then looked to play Brian through on goal. Brian was one-on-one with the El Paso goalkeeper, but the play was whistled dead.
The Black and Orange continued on the attack as they had an enticing chance in the 77th minute. Substitute forward Marc “Sparky” McNulty tapped a header to Amang. Amang slipped in a strike with his left foot that missed wide left of the goal.
In the 78th minute, Orange County SC stayed on the front foot. Casiple played the ball to Doghman outside the box. Doghman’s shot from outside the box was saved in the center of the goal.
Both teams went head for head until the final whistle, but in the end no team had an edge over the other, with the game ending in a 0-0 tie.
OCSC will return to The Champ on Friday, September 15 for our Fiesta de Fireworks Night vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at 7pm. Grab your tickets here today!
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Orange County SC recorded their fourth Saturday sellout in a row with 5,500 fans in attendance tonight.
Goalkeeper Juan Santana recorded his second straight clean sheet.
The draw extended OCSC’s unbeaten streak to nine games.
TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
ELP | 0 | 0 | 0 |
OCSC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
N/A
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
28’ Bench
30’ Kyle Scott
69’ Markus Nakkim
90’+1 Sparky McNulty
90’+2 Kevin Partida
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC
20’ Marc Navarro
33’ Miles Lyons
36’ Nicholas Hinds
60’ Liam Rose
90’+7 Aaron Gomez
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Juan Santana (GK); Ryan Doghman, Owen Lambe, Markus Nakkim (C), Dillon Powers; Seth Casiple, Brian Iloski (Kevin Lankford 62’), Kyle Scott (Andrew Fox 62’), Kevin Partida; Milan Iloski (Sparky McNulty 62’), Thomas Amang
Unused subs: Fernando Aguirre (GK), Brent Richards, Ben Norris, Ben Barjolo
Head Coach: Morten Karlsen
Possession: 50% | Shots: 11 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 4 | Fouls: 21 | Offsides: 2 |
EL PASO LOCOMOTIVE FC LINEUP:
Benny Diaz (GK); Miles Lyons, Erik McCue, Marc Navarro, Noah Dollenmayer (José Carrillo 90’+5); Nicholas Hinds, Liam Rose, Denys Kostyshyn (Petur Knudsen 60’), Louis Herrera; Aaron Gómez, Ricardo Zacarias (Emmanuel Sonupe 60’)
Unused subs: Javier Garcia (GK), Diego Abarca, Christopher Garcia, Petar Petrovic
Head Coach: Brian Clarhurt
Possession: 50% | Shots: 7 | Shots On Goal: 0 | Corners: 1 | Fouls: 19 | Offsides: 0 |
Orange County SC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC
2023 USL Championship | Matchday 28
Date: September 9, 2023
Venue: Championship Stadium (Irvine, CA)
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