Long Beach City College men’s soccer forward Dylan Sears scored his first goal of the season in a commanding 5-1 victory over Los Angeles Harbor College on Tuesday, extending their winning streak to a third game.
“Rhythm and momentum are a big thing. You see El Camino beating the majority of the teams in this conference…It’s like we’re their kryptonite, and I think now that we have that in our head, nobody else can really beat us,” Viking forward Kuliano Doty-Nevarro commented on the team’s mentality coming into this game.
The Vikings’ strong defense and exceptional poise under pressure allowed them to have a lean sheet through the first half.
“We practice to dominate. We want to kill everyone that comes up against us and I think the biggest shift in our focus and momentum is that we have lately become a God-fearing team,” LBCC forward Jeremiah Omishakin commented on dominating their opponents.
Throughout the majority of the game, the Vikings maintained control of the ball and the rhythm as they dictated when they would play quickly or slow down, causing the LA Harbor players to constantly chase after the ball.
“It definitely wasn’t our biggest challenge so far, but I think as we go, we’re learning more about the personnel on our team. We’re getting more comfortable building chemistry, so we feel pretty good about the work,” Commented Doty-Nevarro.
As the game continued, the Vikings created multiple chances, having a total of 18 shots in the game.
“We want to score more, the chances were there…Obviously coming from a 6-1 win against a tougher opponent, coming to LA Harbor we took the opportunity and we should’ve finished them more than anything, but overall we could work on that,” Vikings midfielder Joshua Grado said.
Although the Vikings are playing at an unmatched level, some of the players expressed how their biggest challenge might not be on the field, but school-related issues and problems outside of the sport that could impact them.
“At this level of soccer there’s a lot of distractions and a lot of outside life factors that can get in the way of playing, with work, taking care of families, and school, since this is the time of season where midterms are going on, you have to stay focused,” Doty-Nevarro said.
This doesn’t stop the Vikings from looking forward to their next encounter as many of the players also expressed their enthusiasm and commitment to extending their unbeaten streak to 8 games.
The Vikings will play its next conference game against Compton at home on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
