GCC Men's Soccer ends season with 2-0 win over Citrus; Sophomores honored
It was the final game of the 2021 Men's Soccer season but if it was possible to bottle up the emotion, intensity and pure joy exhibited by the Vaqueros in the 2-0 Western State Conference win over visiting Citrus College on Nov. 12, the outcome was more meaningful than just a victory in the win column to end the season.
On a beautiful late afternoon 3 pm start at Sartoris Field, the pre-game activity started off with six sophomores being honored before their last game, a group that beat the odds to stay and play together according to Head Coach Laura Matsumoto in a pre-game message to the six sophomores playing their last game in a GCC uniform.
"You did it! Thank you for staying the course and delaying transfer during the hardships of COVID so you could finish what you started. The season has certainly been challenging, but you NEVER QUIT!'' she said. "May you always find the heart of the game in the heat of the battle! We wish you every good thing as you move forward to bright futures!
After the introductions, all that was left was for the Vaqs to complete the season sweep of the visiting Owls and sophomore Daniel Meza Gonzalez got GCC in the scoring column at the 33-minute mark of the first half to give his squad a 1-0 lead. Claudio Gonzalez notched the second goal of the game on an assist by Alan Trujillo at the 25-minute mark of the second half and goalies Hrak Tahmasian and Mario Trujillo combined for shutout.