The SoCal SC (0-1-0) started their inaugural season of the National Premier Soccer League with a 2-1 home defeat against North County Battalion (1-0-0) at San Gorgonio High School Stadium in San Bernardino, California.
Esteban Reyes scored the first goal in North County Battalion history off a pass from Nelson Pizarro in the 34th minute to give the Battalion a 1-0 lead.
In the first half SoCal SC dominated the match, but missed all of its opportunities as they tested Battalion goalkeeper Bryant Vera and his defense. SoCal SC seemed to have more goal-scoring opportunities, but Connor Mazolowski and Sean Ritchey continually stifled the SoCal offense in the first half to keep the Battalion leading 1-0 after 45 minutes.
In the second half, the Battalion struck again with their second goal of the game in the 55th minute. SoCal SC kept pressuring the game as the visitors held a 2-0 lead.
Three minutes later SoCal SC’s Michael Hodis scored off a corner to cut the deficit to one. That was SoCal SC’s first official goal in its history. The home team controlled the ball for most of the final 25 minutes of the game, generating a few strong chances. The NC Battalion defense controlled every offensive threat en route to their first victory in the club’s history.
SoCal SC returns home for the “Inland Empire Classico” which is going to be their second game of the season on Saturday, April 17th against its rivals from Riverside, Deportivo Coras USA. Kickoff is at 4:00 pm PST at San Gorgonio High School.
