The Trojans opened up inter-conference play as they hosted defending Coast Conference South champs, De Anza College, for their Friday, Sept. 23 matchup at Skyline College. Led by four returning players, Skyline hoped to avenge a 3-0 loss to the Dons from 2010.
In an attempt to strike first, De Anza’s strategy from the opening kick was to apply offensive pressure on the Trojans. For most of the first half, the Dons’ game plan overwhelmed Skyline’s defense as De Anza kept the Trojans on their heels while continuing to attack the net. Early season communication issues were evident for the Trojans, but Skyline managed to find their game and established a nice offensive rhythm midway through the first half.
The Trojans were first to score with 25 minutes left in the first half, with an impressive goal from first year midfielder, Esteban Morales which put Skyline ahead 1-0. The intensity was evident as whistles blew; the physical play on the field resulted in several yellow cards being called on both teams. On a dangerous play with two minutes remaining before halftime, Skyline’s Juan Gomez was laid out on the field as a result of a blind hit from a Dons player. Despite this, Gomez was able to continue.
A questionable call cost the Trojans as De Anza scored on a free kick and tied the game at 1 apiece in the closing minutes of the first half. The competitive spirit of the second half was apparent as both teams battled, leading to several altercations on the field. Both teams were determined to leave everything on the field for the win. On one particular play, benches were cleared as a De Anza player shoved Skyline forward,
Chris Hazelwood out of bounds leading to a yellow card for the Dons as well as a red card for Hazelwood taking him out of the game in addition to a one-game suspension. Momentum shifted between the teams for the rest of the game as neither one was able to score before the final whistle blew.
“That was a good dive on that guy’s part—it got the job done,” shared Trojan Midfielder Andres.
Portillo when asked about the play that gave De Anza a free kick in the first half. “We haven’t been getting a lot of calls our way this season, but we try not to think about that.”
Daniel Link, Skyline Head coach, also addressed this season’s constant battle, “It’s an unfortunate result. We outplayed them. Our guys worked hard and deserved that win but because of unfortunate circumstances, we haven’t been getting any breaks.”
Hazelwood’s energy helped Skyline stay active throughout the game and when asked about the physical play that had him ejected he said, “It’s a physical game and I was a little reckless on a tackle, then I got pushed from behind. That (play) got me my second yellow card and the guys had to play with ten players for a while. They did a great job keeping them from scoring.” Hazelwood also added, “I feel like it’s on me that we didn’t get this win.”
The Trojans’ next home game will be against conference rival Cañada College on Oct. 7 at 2 p.m.
