Forward Emmanuel Dominguez swipes the ball past a gaggle of defenders, leading the surging Jaguars. Photo by Mary York.
This time there were no brawling fans, no campus police pulling guns and no bloody jerseys, but any match against archrival San Diego City College is a pitch battle.
SWC has tied City twice this year, most recently 2-2, thanks to a dramatic short-sided come-from-behind effort.
SWC (12-1-4) remains undefeated in the PCAC at 7-0-2 record and will be in the playoffs for a fourth consecutive season.
Against City it was a tale of two halves. SWC gave up a pair of unanswered goals early in the first half and took just three shots on goal. Jaguar defenders had trouble keeping up with the speedy forwards of City College.
Momentum shifted in the second half, however, when head coach Cem Tont made half-time adjustments to get behind the large City College backline. In the 65th minute freshman Mark Davalos scored after his shot ricocheted off an opposing player. A frustrated San Diego City fan was ejected from the game in the 68th minute and left DeVore Stadium in a frenzy that seemed to feed the Jaguars.
In the 75th minute Jags forward Adrian Ramos tied the game on a curving blast that ended in the bottom right corner of the net following a centering pass from freshman forward Alejandro Camacho. It was a 2-2 draw that felt like a victory.
SWC looked to be in playoff form when it won a handy 3-0 victory at Imperial Valley College.
Early in the first half the Jags dominated possession and had every shot on target. In the 32nd minute Jags striker Davalos drew a red card and left the Jags with only 10 available men.
Tont said the card was a concern.
¨There was a scuffle there and I think a retaliation to the referee,” he said. “My player got the red card. We will take extra action. If we get another red card like this, it will be an extra game out.”
Even with just 10 players SWC took the lead when midfielder Rigoberto Maciel placed the ball on the bottom right corner of the net after a spectacular triangulation of the Jags midfield that placed him in a great position to score.
The Jags never relented, which kept Imperial Valley backpedaling under the scorching sun. In the 72nd minute Jags scoring leader Adrian Ramos punched in a goal for a 2-0 lead.
Ramos leads the team with 20 points, six goals and eight assists.
Tont said the team managed to persevere despite being down a man.
¨It was a good game, supposed to be an easy game that became difficult,” he said. “Imperial Valley is used to this (hot) weather in their elements. We earned a red card, we played with 10 men, but still we controlled the game and kept our shape.”
Tont made four substitutes towards the end of the second half to compensate for the extra of playing with 10. At the 83rd minute Carlos Calderon, fresh from the sidelines, placed a beautiful golazo at the top right corner of the net, which drew the curtains down on a one-sided 3-0 win.
Calderon said he spotted a weakness in the opposition while he was on the bench.
“I saw that they gave too much space,” he said. “On the field I saw that space. I cut in and took the shot. There was a little luck, but it went in.¨
Jags center back Jesus Holguin was a brick wall in the back line, obstructing several passes that threatened SWC’s goal. Holguin said the team is rich with leadership.
¨Nobody wears the captain armband,” he said. “I think we all have that leader in us and that is what makes us a great team. We all lead the team.”
