Jamie Sporcic snapped a 1-1 tie with a goal in the 82nd minute on Friday afternoon and SBCC went on to beat Pasadena 2-1 in its men’s soccer home opener at La Playa Stadium.
Daniel Loveday staked the Vaqueros (1-1) to a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute after taking a pass in the box from Chijioke Aranotu. Three minutes later, Zachary Larson scored to tie it for the Lancers (0-1).
It was the 10th straight home triumph for the Vaqueros, who are 21-2-3 in La Playa over the last two-plus seasons.
Eduardo Guerra and Sporcic combined on a goal for the second time in four days. Guerra delivered a through ball on the left side and Sporcic chipped it over the goalie for the game-winner.
“Our fitness is good and we’ve hit the ground running,” said Sporcic, a freshman midfielder from Birmingham, England. “We had three goals on the road earlier in the week and two today.
“I was trying to make a few runs inside and Eddie picked me up, obviously. I saw the keeper come off the line and I just chipped it over his head.”
Goalie Anthony Mendoza made eight saves for the Vaqueros. Pasadena outshot the home team 19-16 and had 10 shots on-goal compared to six for SBCC.
Three minutes before Sporcic’s goal, Vaquero defender Juan Sanchez made a save on a shot by Vahgn Manoyan.
“We were in and out of the game,” said coach John Sisterson. “At times, we looked very capable of scoring goals. Defensively, we need to tighten up. I thought Adam (Colton) did a good job on defense.
“That was a great run by Jamie. He’s so composed in those situations. He’s going to be a great asset.”
The Vaqueros travel to Taft on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. contest.
