After having a week off, the Comets men’s soccer team earned a much desired win on their home pitch in San Pablo last Friday. 

“I always tell the guys, we’re in search of a feeling, the feeling of winning,” said first year head coach Pedro Cortes Garcia after the match. 

Coming off a stretch of over five weeks since their last home win, the Comets’ 2-0 victory against Mendocino College on Oct. 29 was overdue after having to accept ties in all of their last three home games. 

“The games we’ve tied at home have been unfortunate because we’ve had the opportunity to win them all, and that hurts us in the standings,” said Garcia. “Coming in, we were focusing on the last three games of the season, so getting the first out of three is a great feeling.”

The Comets scored one goal in each half. The first was put into the back of the net in the twentieth minute by freshman defender Malik Hassouneh, the second was booted between the posts in the sixtieth minute by freshman midfielder Huriel Rodriguez. 

Not unlike the Comets previous home matches, things got a little chippy among opposing players, with three yellow cards being issued by the referee. 

“Don’t be gentle with these people,” yelled the Mendocino College head coach at his players. 

Though when the game concluded, both head coaches greeted each other with a smile and said they looked forward to talking about the match at some point. 

Following their Oct. 29 victory, the Comets went on the road and suffered a 0-3 defeat, their first losing effort in two weeks, against the skillful Butte College, who have only one loss on the season. 

However, the Comets have not lost a home game in over two months, with their last defeat coming Sept. 4 against Siskiyous College. 

“At the beginning of the conference schedule, our goal was to not lose at home,” said Garcia. And up to this point, the Comets have not allowed a conference opponent to leave San Pablo with a win. 

“All these guys (players) are local, so I think it’s meaningful for them to represent where they’re from,” Garcia noted. 

Following their last regular season away game coming up against Marin College Nov. 5, the Comets can complete their goal of not losing at home in conference play when Merritt College comes to visit Joe Gomes Field for the last regular season game of the season. 

According to Garcia, the Comets’ chances of making the playoffs are “up in the air.”

The teams that make the playoffs are chosen in regards to their overall record, strength of schedule, and outcome of games. 

“It’s so competitive, there’s so many teams in other conferences that have strong schedules and records,” said Garcia. 

Forging ahead, the Comets look to finish strong, continue displaying heart and hustle on the field for their fans and coaches to enjoy, and give themselves a shot at enjoying their first postseason experience as a team.