The SRJC Men’s Soccer team fell to formidable American River College in a 3-1 loss Sept. 27.

The 2012 Big 8 Conference Champion Bear Cubs started the season strong, winning their first conference game against Cosumnes River, but it is clear this young team will have to grow up fast after their loss. The Santa Rosa squad has only six returning sophomores on the roster this year. ARC finished third in the Big 8 last year, and have been hot this season with a current overall record of 5-1-3.

The game kicked off under clear, sunny skies while the players’ families and supporters looked on from the stands. It was a fast-paced game from the first whistle.

ARC applied pressure early with two corner kicks. Both teams attacked from the start and created scoring chances.

SRJC’s Petter Lund almost drew first blood, barely missing the goal with a one-touch shot off of a cross.

ARC played long passes down the wings, getting behind the Santa Rosa defense.

“They [ARC] were patient, and we tend to sit back, no flow developed,” said SRJC head coach Marty Kinahan.

With 17 minutes left in the half, ARC scored a header goal on their fourth corner kick.

One SRJC fan said this about the first half of play, “We don’t communicate, don’t tell when a man’s on the back; and we need to keep it simple, we tend to kick the ball away.”

The Bear Cubs came back after half time with some fire in their bellies and created a couple of scoring opportunities. The bench cheered on their fellow players. SRJC defenders failed to clear a dangerous ball in their own box and ARC scored their second goal 13 minutes into the second half.

After the goal, Kinahan yelled to his players on the field, “Head up boys! That was their first shot [of the second half], we’ve had our chances.”

Defender Francisco Garcia was a rock in the back for Santa Rosa, halting attacks and putting in solid passes to the mid field.

SRJC freshman Dontae Garcia, who switched positions to forward at half time, found the back of the net with a driven strike after he controlled a ball that deflected off his teammate, with 17 minutes left in the game.

“My strong position is right back, but I have the speed factor so coach puts me on top to be more dynamic,” said Garcia.

The goal changed the landscape of the game and the hope of winning became real as the score read 2-1 with plenty of time left.

“Momentum picked up after the goal, and we were first to the ball after that,” said coach Kinahan.

SRJC pushed their men up out of defense in the last couple minutes to get one last goal and tie the game. Unfortunately the strategy backfired and ARC scored a goal in the last minute, inflating the final score to 3-1.

“We didn’t play a complete game, or even a complete half, we played spotty,” said Kinahan.

The SRJC players kept their heads up and remaining positive during ARC’s victory celebration.

“They had a lot of possession in the first half, but we bounced back to beat a top team,” said ARC defender Jordan Moreno.

SRJC’s conference record is now 1-1, and stands 3-3-3 overall. The team’s next home game is against Marin on Tuesday, October 15 at 4 P.M.