A Good First Step

Glendora, CA — The Citrus College Men's Soccer team opened up their 2014 Western State Conference Schedule on Tuesday night at home against Glendale College. It was a good first step for the Owls, who hadn't won a conference opener in at least eight years, as they defeated the Vaqueros 2-0.

Citrus set the tempo early on Tuesday, taking seven shots in the first half compared to just one for Glendale. The Owls had a couple of early chances thanks to good crosses in the box, but none proved fruitful until late in the first half. In the 37th minute, the Owls put a score on the board, when sophomore Shusuke Kajiwara headed the ball into the back of the net off a pass from freshman Adrian Vera Pascual.

The Owls continued to pound the ball in the second half, and while Glendale showed some signs of offensive life in the final 45 minutes, Citrus still outshot the Vaqueros 13-4. All those shots paid dividends early in the second half, when the Owls earned a free kick deep in Glendale territory. Kajiawara's ensuing free kick bounced in and out of the box, but landed at the feet of sophomore Michael Montoya. Montoya found himself with the ball and no one between him and the net, but the keeper. Montoya made good on the opportunity, putting Citrus up 2-0.

With the win, Citrus improves to 2-2-1 on the year. The Owls will get a stiff test on Friday when they travel to Sepulveda Basin Sports Complex in Van Nuys to take on Los Angeles Mission College at 2:00 PM.