The Skyline College Men’s Soccer Team faced off against the San Joaquin Delta Mustangs on Tuesday, Sept. 13 in their second game of the season. The game took place at Skyline from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. At the end of the game, the scoreboard, barely visible through the accumulating fog, read “Home: 1, Visitor: 5.”

Despite the tension on the field, there was a prominent and palpable feel of community and camaraderie in the stands as they filled up with friends, family and fellow athletes who came to show their support for the Trojans. Although the fog made for a chilly atmosphere as it blew across the field, the community in the stands kept each other warm with bellowing and cheering. There was definitely a sense that people were invested in the success of the team and that the game itself was a place not only to support the team, but to catch up with friends and sit back and enjoy a soccer game.

The game itself had a slow pace, especially after the first half, during which the score was tied one to one. The Trojans made the first goal about ten minutes into the game and did not score after that. “We lost our head in the first half (of the game), and once you lose your head, it’s hard to get it back,” goalie Luis Depaz said. Many spectators hollered encouragement as well as critique to the players from the stands. They had their own commentary to add and spoke freely, especially around the second half of the game. Depaz, despite his best efforts, was unable to stop Delta’s offense.

“There was no communication. There were lots of gaps between the midfielders and defenders,” said Andres Polomo, a former Skyline soccer player.

“The right side was too weak,” added a spectator named Julio.

One spectator named Rodrigo, who preferred not to state his last name, even had things to say about the role of the goalie specifically, saying, “The goalie did not talk to the rest of the team.”

When asked about the game, Head Coach Daniel Link had little to say except, “We have things to work on, and we’re a long way away.” The team’s new roster has 21 freshmen out of 25 players. This is a mostly new team that has just begun to play with one another. However, this does not seem to be the cause for the team’s loss, as they did win their first game against Shasta College on Tuesday, Sept. 6; they beat the Knights 4-2. Today’s game wasn’t as successful, but the team hopes to work on its issues in the future. The players acknowledged their mistakes and were understandably disappointed with their loss.

“We weren’t communicating that much,” Depaz said. “It just wasn’t our day.”