It was Los Dos who started quickest, when moments into the match they had their first chance of the game. A long ball over the top of the Orange County backline led to the Galaxy forward clear in on goal, who managed to round Charlie Lyon but Oscar Sorto got back just in time to block the pull back and clear the ball. However Orange County reacted well and created several chances of their own. Gustavo Villalobos managed to pull away from the Los Dos defence on the counter attack, however his shot deflected narrowly over the bar for a corner. From the resulting corner, Orange County hit the post following a scramble in the Galaxy box, with the ball coming off Duke Lacroix last.
In a first half full of chances for both sides, save of the half belonged to Lyon after he pulled off an outstanding save in the 33rd minute, when the ball seemed destined for the goal. He managed to spectacularly tip the ball over the bar from a close range header. Orange County’s best chance of the half came just before the break, when Jerry Van Ewijk found Lacroix with a cleaver reverse ball, Lacroix managed to turn his man sharply in the box and create space for a strike on goal, however he couldn’t keep his shot down and it sailed over the bar. Despite both teams having a number of chances, the teams entered the break level.
Orange County came out strongly in the second period and were in front 4 minutes after the restart, after Roy Meeus’s whipped cross was diverted into the goal following a sliced clearance from Galaxy center back, Jean Engola, to give Orange County the lead.
Orange County continued to dominate and nearly doubled their lead in the 64th minute when Gustavo Villalobos hit the woodwork. He was picked out at the back post by Jerry Van Ewijk and fired a shot which rebounded off the bottom of the right post.
However Galaxy levelled mid-way through the second half when a free kick from the edge of the box was well saved by Lyon rebounded to the onrushing Adrian Vera who slotted home to tie up the match.
In a highly entertaining and closely contested match, neither side could find the breakthrough and played out a 1-1 tie. The two sides will go head to head once more on May 6th, when they meet in Orange County’s SC’s home opener at the Orange County Great Park.
ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:
The Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s Professional Soccer Team. The club was one of 12 founding members of the new United Soccer League (USL) in its inaugural 2011 season. Established in 2013, the predecessor club Orange County Blues were the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Champions and have reached the Western Conference semifinals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The club’s brand-new owner, James Keston, is the Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, and will actively oversee all operations of the USL club in Orange County. Keston is dedicated to transforming the club into a world-class professional soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players and youth clubs of Orange County.
For more information about Orange County Soccer Club and to purchase tickets, visit: https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/orangecountysoccer.
Contact:
Kelly Salmieri: VP, Marketing & Community Relations, kelly@https://sportsengine-staging.go-vip.net/orangecountysoccer, 805.844.0856