Marin Men's Soccer played their most complete game of the young season on Tuesday in Hayward. Against the Chabot College Gladiators, the Mariners took an early lead and had an opportunity to grab a road victory. While they were denied, the budding chemistry amongst the squad is undeniable. Kristoffer Wangberg scored his second goal of the season and Brian Rodriguez played excellent in goal, but the Mariners ultimately fell by a score of 3-1.
Marin started out on the front foot, pushing the pace and controlling the ball in the attacking third. The result was an excellent start that culminated with a pass by Dany Rodas that setup Wangberg for the score and early lead. The Mariners had a chance to go up 2-0 inside the first 15 minutes of play, but the shot hit the post and lacked a friendly bounce.
Minutes later the momentum shifted as Chabot drew a foul inside the 18-yard box and earned a penalty as a result. Rodriguez was unable to save the attempt from the Gladiators' Alyas Haidery as he tied the game up at 1-1. The two teams battled but could not break the deadlock before the halftime whistle.
The second half saw a fairly even share possession but Chabot made the most of their chances, while the Mariners were denied. Chabot broke the tie in the 52th minute as Oscar Rodriguez supplied Mehsam Sultani who beat Rodriguez for a 2-1 lead. Sultani was the provider for Jose Vasquez in the 73rd minute. His goal was the effective nail in the coffin as the Mariners could not rally from the 3-1 deficit.
It was an excellent game from the neutral perspective, and Marin showed they could hang with a solid regional opponent.
Wangberg's goal was his second of the year and he currently share team honors with Daniil Menshikov and Peter Carrol with two each. Bryan Rodriguez made six saves in the match and played all 90 minutes in goal.
Marin looks to snap their losing streak with a home match against the Hartnell College Panthers on September 20th at 4pm.