Chijioke Aranotu tied Tuesday’s WSC men’s soccer game 2-2 in the 68th minute and Kian Chachi put SBCC ahead two minutes later as the Vaqueros rallied for a key road win at Moorpark in their regular-season finale.
SBCC (10-6-4, 8-4-4) was in a must-win situation to have a shot at the 14-team Southern Cal Regional playoffs, which start on Nov. 17. The Vaqueros are currently ranked No. 22 in the state and No. 12 in the region.
After falling behind 1-0, the Vaqueros tied it in the 18th minute when Aranotu broke free down the right side, cut the ball across and Jamie Sporcic scored from close range.
The Vaqueros fell behind 2-1 in the 25th minute and trailed by that score at halftime.
In the 68th minute, the Raiders were called for a hand ball in the box and Justin Saul tried a penalty kick. The ball hit the top of the bar and came down inside the goal, according to SBCC coach John Sisterson, but there was no signal for a goal. Aranotu alertly followed the missed shot and found the net to tie it at 2.
In the 70th minute, Kian Chachi took a pass from Adam Colton and tallied the game-winner with his seventh goal in eight games. Chachi smashed it into the bottom left corner with his left foot. SBCC finished the regular season on a 7-1-3 run.
The playoff pairings will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 13.
