The 2017 COM Soccer Season is here, and for the Men's Team, the first week was a strenuous one. The team opened the year with a match on Wednesday, August 30th at Canada College and followed it up with a Friday match versus Chabot College in Hayward. Despite dropping both matches, the Mariners showed that with time, they will be a force to reckon with.
With an active squad of just 12 players, the Mariners traveled to Canada College and appointed themselves well in the first 17 minutes of play. The passing was crisp and the defense remained stout. Unfortunately, fatigue eventually took its toll as the home team, sporting an active roster of 24 ground down the Mariners for the first goal in the 18th minute of play. From there, the floodgates opened and Marin allowed three additional goals before halftime. The second half was better for the Mariners as they allowed just two goals, but were unable to push any across of their own. Despite the 6-0 defeat, the Mariners remained strong with their second game of the week looming.
Friday saw the Mariners visit Chabot College for a game in the sweltering September heat. It was a very even game in the first half as both teams created chances nearly equally. Chabot found the back of the net once in the first half, but the Mariners maintained their composure and completed the first 45 minutes with just the single blemish. Again, numbers were decisive as the Mariners had just 12 players and fatigue took its toll in the second half. Chabot earned a penalty in the second half which was saved by Marin keeper Colin Sneddon, unfortunately a rebound was converted into a goal for Chabot. The home team scored three time in the second half for a 4-0 final score.
Head Coach Michael Crivello was pleased with the Mariners' performance, "Very proud of the team today and the effort they gave. We wore down a bit in the second half and made some mistakes that led to us conceding a few goals, but we are starting to do some very good things, both individually and as a team. Better days are ahead if we stay the course."
College of Marin's next test is Tuesday, September 5th at Monterey Peninsula College.