06/06/09

06.06.2009 | Men’s Soccer

Eric Lafon celebrates a Hat Trick/Photo By Laura Arnold

Sol Crushes Salinas Samba In 10-1 Win Saturday

Thus far this season the Sol had the better of two games against the Salinas Samba, tying them 1-1 at home and then beating them 6-0 on the road the very next day. Bringing only eleven players (just enough to fill a squad) for the game against the league-top Sonoma County Sol, it seems the Samba did not plan on winning, let alone putting up a fight. The game could not be called such—it was a clinic put on by a stronger, faster, smarter, better-prepared team. The difference in class reflects in the scoreline.

In the first half alone, five Sol players earned higher stats for the season. Chris Wright, recent newcomer to the squad netted two goals and tallied two assists. Eric Lafon, points-leader of the Sol with 19, scored three goals and got one assist, making him the second Sol member to score a hat-trick (three goals in a game) this season, the first being Brandon Boone the last time Sol and Salinas met. Eric Larson was credited with two assists in the first half. Also scoring goals were the Hurst brothers, Tyler and Trevor, scoring one each. Salinas scored a goal with just fifteen minutes left in the half, and at half-time the score was 7-1.

Even though the score marked utter domination, the Salinas Samba fought for just about every ball, tackling hard and fast and often late. Scrappy playing meant more injuries to the Sol as frustration mounted for the Samba; Sol midfielder Eric Lafon expected he would neither travel nor play on Sunday in order to heal from injuries dealt by the visiting Samba. With a similar idea in mind all the substitutions possible were made by the Sol in order to rest the team for a predictably more difficult match against Lamorinda SC.

In the second half the amount of scoring for the Sol tapered off but did not end entirely. Samba seamed to pick their game up and play more simply than in the first half, trying to work the ball around rather than just dribble, perhaps out of necessity as exhaustion set in. Samba mounted counter-attacks whenever possible and tried to sit in rather than remain on the offensive. Trying, it seems, to lessen the damage, and it worked. Some iffy midfield play on the Sol's part resulted in a few chances for the visiting team, including a penalty just outside of the penalty box. Sol captain Adam Shields was in goal for the shot, having switched in for Tim Maycock who went to outside mid at half-time. The Samba hit a good shot over the wall and nearly into the upper corner of the Sol's net. Had Adam Shields not extended his 6' 4” frame entirely and punched the ball out of danger the Samba may have had their second goal of the night.

Shawn Percell put in his third goal of the season, hitting a hard shot past the Samba goalkeeper. Daniel Garcia earned a goal and an assist, giving him three points for the Sol this season. Brandon Boone earned two assists and had an opportunity for a goal on a penalty kick. The player that committed the foul received a red card, forcing the Samba to play a man down the rest of the match. Boone seemed confident when he stepped up to take the kick and struck the ball hard enough into the upper portion of the net but down the middle and the Samba goalkeeper made a brilliant save, getting just enough of his hand on the ball to touch it over the bar. Tim Maycock, Sol goalkeeper in the first half, got an assist and the final goal of the night with a streaking run down the right side of the field. His touches set him up about fifteen yards out from goal and off to the right, from which he struck the ball hard and low to the far post. When asked about the goal, Maycock said he just told himself “easy...easy...Bury it!” and the Sol coach Benjamin Ziemer seems glad he did. “Our focus has been to take the season one game at a time, but also to look ahead at what lay in store. I expected to win this game and wanted to rest as much of the team as possible for our game Sunday against Lamorinda SC and Tuesday against the Orange County Blue Stars” Ben said after the game.

The Sol and Samba have a history of brutal battles in which players always end up more battered than they were coming into the game. But the rivalry stops there—it seems the Sol have outgrown their Salinas opponent, taking them seriously enough to bury them under a barrage of goals. “The tie earlier in the season was a fluke” Sol team and board member Mike Nikol said.

Article By Lee Sandwina