Both on the road and home, the Comets men’s soccer team have yet to receive a win since their last victory came against Lassen College over three weeks ago. Since then, they’ve had four losses and two ties. That all changed in one of Comets most anticipated matchups, when they went head-to-head with their rival, Yuba College 49ers.
Unlike previous matchups, there seemed to be a feeling-out process for the first 20 minutes. Neither team seemed to gain the upperhand, as the ball continued to go back and forth.
The Comets started to open up about 20 minutes into the game. This was clear when forward Mark Salgado assisted center Tommy Hoptry to score the first goal of the game. This seemed to aggravate Yuba, as they scored their own goal, tying up the game 1-1.
The flashy celebration that followed shortly after only caused tensions to rise.
For the rest of the first half, both teams committed fouls on each other, some more flagrant than others. The half ended after a failed scoring attempt by the Comets, leaving it at 1-1.
The second half started just as slow as the first, neither team scoring or committing any fouls. This all changed when a fight broke out between the teams, as benches were nearly cleared. The scuffle also caused both teams benches to become more vocal throughout the match.
At this point of the game, many fouls were committed, harsh words were exchanged, and both teams were extremely heated. The Comets gained the upper hand shortly after another foul committed by Yuba. This allowed right wing Dale Haley to score on an assist from center Kevin Hernandez, putting CCC up 2-1.
Directly afterward, a Yuba player was ejected for committing his second yellow card foul of the match. Fans from the Comets bleachers antagonized the player even more, which caused him to angrily make his way over to the bench.
Other players from Yuba’s team also began verbal disputes with the Cometscrowd, but were silenced after their goalie hesitated, and let the ball slip past for another Comet goal. This goal was also scored by Haley, making the score 3-1. The game ended just after this, which left the Comets with their third victory of the season.
“[Kevin] gave me a beautiful cross, I was able to finish that in the second half. I was able to get my head on that second [goal]. Didn’t really think it was going to go in. Their keeper might need to hit the books. But it was a good win and good start to the season,” Haley said.
“It felt great cause we gotta keep it up. We got to keep winning every game. Next game we gotta fight for that win again. I’m out for next game, but when I come back, I’m going to come back better,” Hernandez said after realizing he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season.
With a record of 3-4-2, the Comets have had a rocky start to the season, and their future is uncertain.
