With Thursday’s Channel League home opener looming against undefeated Santa Barbara, San Marcos’ boys soccer team looked to shake the rust from a two-week plus winter break on Tuesday at Nordhoff.
The rust came off in a 3-0 non-league victory, giving the Royals a 6-3-1 record as they start league play.
“We had a slow start,” said San Marcos head coach Brian Eisen, whose last game was a 2-0 loss to Fillmore on Dec. 17. “Once we started feeling out Nordhoff, we took control.”
The Royals took their first lead in the 34th minute when James Crook found Victor Arreolea, who beat Nordhoff’s keeper for a 1-0 lead.
Chris Olmedo and Ricky Lopez both scored in the second half to extend San Marcos’ advantage. Erik Gutierrez and Eliseo Chavez used a two-man passing game to create some space for Gutierrez, who then found Olmedo for an assist.
Lopez’s goal resulted from a set-piece that Efren Gutierrez successfully served to Nordhoff’s far post.
Brian Shaw and Efren Gutierrez split goalkeeper duties to combine on the shutout.
Thursday’s Channel League clash is part of a girls-boys Royals-Dons doubleheader at San Marcos, with the girls kicking off at 5 p.m. and the boys following at 7 p.m.
“It’s all been in preparation for this game,” Eisen said of his team’s preseason training.
