Vaqueros can’t upend conference-leading Oxnard



Steve Trujillo scored on a header in the 36th minute on Tuesday night and Oxnard made it stand up for a 1-0 men’s soccer victory over SBCC at La Playa Stadium.

The loss snapped a 12-game home winning streak for the Vaqueros (3-4, 1-2 WSC). First-place Oxnard, ranked No. 2 in Southern Cal, improved to 4-1-1 and 2-0-1.

Roque Magana set up the game-winning goal with a 40-yard free kick to the back left post.

“It was a simple enough goal to defend, we just didn‘t take care of business,” said coach John Sisterson. “They had a lot of energy, they closed us down quickly and won every 50-50 ball. You can’t do that in a game like this.

“We were missing a couple of key players and that affected us. We created some chances but we were never able to get a rhythm going.”

The Vaqueros were outshot 5-3 in the first half and didn’t get a shot on goal until the 50th minute. Jamie Sporcic settled a through ball on the left side but had to shoot quickly from about 20 yards because the goalie came out to challenge. Osvaldo Valladolid, the Condor keeper, jumped up and tipped the ball away with his fingers.

SBCC outshot the visitors 6-3 in the second half and 9-8 for the game. Oxnard had four shots on goal. Tuesday was the fourth straight 1-0 game for the Vaqueros and they’re 2-2 in those contests.

“This game was similar to the Hancock game,” said Sisterson. “We played well enough but we weren’t getting shots on the target.

“It’s still early in the conference. We’ve got 13 games left and anything can happen. It’s all about finding consistency which we’ve done in previous years.”

The Vaqueros host Glendale on Friday at 7 p.m.