Pirates sizzle in the second half and topple 6-3

In what Coach Laird Hayes called one of the “goofiest games” he’s

seen, Orange Coast College scored six goals in the second half and

defeated host Cerritos, 6-3, Monday.

Led by Dante Zena’s three-goal game and two-assist performances

from Joel Sotolongo and Mark Thornberry, the Pirates, who trailed 2-1

with 23 minutes remaining, came back to win, which put them over the

.500 mark at 3-2. Cerritos drops to 1-2-1.

Neither team scored in the first half, but OCC’s Greg Reese

started the scoring for OCC in the 60th minute with a goal on an

assist from Joe Salinas.

Cerritos scored five minutes later as Pirate goalkeeper Eli Zack

tried to pass the ball downfield, but the ball hit a Cerritos player

and rebounded into the goal, Hayes said.

Cerritos went ahead, 2-1, two minutes later before Zena began his

scoring barrage, taking an assist from Thornberry in the 73rd minute

to tie the game.

Muluwa Manda scored on an assist from Sotolongo in the 78th minute

before Zena would score his second goal on another assist from

Sotolongo.

Cerritos scored to make it, 4-3, but Zena captured his hat trick

in the 82nd minute on an assist from Miguel Ochoa. Two minutes later,

Ochoa scored a goal of his own on a Thornberry assist to make it 6-3.

Zack went to his left to save a penalty kick in the 80th minute,

which Hayes said, “was huge because that would have tied the game,”

and finished with eight saves.

* In a college men’s game:

Vanguard was outshot, 23-10, and outscored, 3-0, Monday as the

visiting Lions fell to 0-4 on the season with a nonconference loss to

the Toros of CSU Dominguez Hills in Carson.

Defender Sean Ganey and Jonathan Olinger were the only Lions to

get shots-on-goal, as Lion goalkeeper Christopher Swift made seven

saves.

The Toros’ Gabriel Valencia scored two second-half goals as junior

forward Eduardo Serrano knocked-in his fourth goal of the year just

one minute into the contest.

CSU Dominguez Hills improves to 3-0-1 on the year.