Community college men’s soccer: Pirates snap scoring slump in win

COSTA MESA - Chris Coburn scored his first collegiate goal to lead

the Orange Coast College men’s soccer team to a 1-0 Orange Empire

Conference win over visiting Golden West Tuesday.

Coburn’s goal snapped the Pirates’ month-long home scoring drought and

completed a season sweep of the Rustlers. Coast won 2-1 at Golden West Oct. 5.

With just 90 seconds left in the first half, Coburn connected on his

goal, which was the first goal at home by the Pirates since the first

half of a Sept. 25 contest against Santiago Canyon. The slump spanned 455

minutes of game time. Ryan Holt picked up his third assist of the season

on Coburn’s goal.

As has been the case for most of the season, Coast played solid

defensively and controlled the game, but struggled to finish on scoring

chances. Despite the close score, the Pirates (10-7-3, 7-3-2 in the OEC)

were rarely in danger and outshot Golden West, 17-3.

The Rustlers (3-12-4, 2-7-3) nearly tied the game late, sending a high

shot into a crowd of attackers in the 89th minute. However, Pirate goalie

Joey Balbas made a leaping save in a crowd of traffic to preserve his

fifth shutout in the past six games. He has nine shutouts this season and

aside from a pair of penalty kicks, he’s yielded just one score in the

past 707 minutes of game time and only two in the past 800. He finished

with two saves against the Rustlers.

Coast has lost just three of its past 15 games and remains very much

alive in the battle for second place in the OEC.

The third-place Pirates picked up three points in the standings with

the win to move just one behind of Fullerton, which fell 7-0 at home to

Santa Ana.

Coast and Fullerton will meet in the regular-season finale Tuesday at

Coast at 3 p.m. Before that game, the Pirates will play at Santa Ana

Friday at 3 p.m.