SBCC scored twice in a six-minute span of the first half on Friday and held on to edge Hancock 2-1 in its WSC men’s soccer opener in Santa Maria.
Hancock (0-5-1, 0-2) struck first with a goal in the 16th minute.
The Vaqueros (2-4, 1-0) evened it up in the 20th minute when Napoleon Bergstroem took a return pass from Aaron Aaberg and scored. Six minutes later, Jonathan Mora chipped a ball over the defense and Kieron Coleman settled it, then found the net from close range for a 2-1 lead.
“This was an important game and we were determined to get the three points,” said coach John Sisterson. “We were always looking to attack and it was all one-way traffic in the second half.”
Santa Barbara took 20 shots with six on target. Goalie Oscar Haard-Thelm and the defense allowed just one goal for the second straight game.
The Vaqueros open a three-game homestand on Tuesday against Canyons at 7:30 p.m.
