San Marcos gave Oxnard a good battle before falling 3-2 in a non-league boys soccer game on Tuesday.
Owen Bates gave the Royals a 1-0 lead off an Andy Mandrell assist, but Oxnard countered with two goals for a 2-1 lead.
Mandrell and Oscar Perez combined for the equalizer. Oxnard, however, took advantage of some defensive lapses and scored the game winner.
“We have to do a better job defensively,” San Marcos coach Daniel Torres said. “The goals we gave up were avoidable. We didn’t win many 1 v 1 in our defensive third and it cost us the game.”
The Royals fell to 1-3-2.
“It’s a learning process for the team,” Torres added. “We have set goals for the remainder of the season and we must do what it takes in order to achieve them. Step by step we will turn this season around. I believe in this group and in their abilities.”
