The Santa Rosa Junior College men’s soccer team took a 1-1 draw against the De Anza College Mountain Lions at home Sept. 23.
The Bear Cubs took a lead in the first half, when SRJC midfielder Miguel Bustos scored a goal inside the box off a set piece, with the free-kick assist coming from fellow midfielder Alan Sanchez.
It was a closely fought and physical first half, with the Bear Cubs looking dominant with their possession and pressure. The first half also had quite a few scuffles between the SRJC players and their opponents.
The second half saw Santa Rosa play the majority on defense. Defenders George Binda and Angel Barajas stepped up big against the De Anza attack.
Despite conceding a goal, keeper Emanuel Padilla looked confident, not committing any major errors and consistently booting the ball upfield.
The 58th minute of the game saw De Anza get level, when midfielder Leonardo Garcia scored off a clever interception and finished inside the Bear Cubs’ 18-yard box.
De Anza mounted more pressure in the second half, and SRJC looked a bit shakier in the midfield, though this wasn’t the case for Bear Cubs’ players Sam Nolan and Billy Rodriguez. Both seemed composed and played the majority of the game.
In the 90th minute Rodriguez thought he scored the game-winning goal from a free-kick header, but he was ruled offside. Victor Vargas and Alan Sanchez tried to score in the final seconds but failed, and the game was called in the 93rd minute. The Bear Cubs look to rebound against Napa Valley College as they travel to face the Storm at 4 p.m. Sept. 27.
