College of Marin Men's Soccer opened their 2019 BVC campaign with a tough road loss to the Napa Valley Storm. The Mariners led the match early on, but could not hold off the Storm's response. Sophomore Joseph Ndungu scored his first goal of the season while Bryan Rodriguez played well in goal with seven saves.
Early on Marin was the superior team. Their passing and movement were excellent and their defense played soundly. The Mariners broke an early scoreless deadlock as Kristoffer Wangberg delivered a pass to Ndungu who powered a shot past the Napa keeper for a 1-0 advantage.
The lead did not last long as Napa responded in kind and tied the match up at 1-1 before the halftime whistle.
The second half saw the Mariners create a number of chances but they were unable to break the deadlock. Against the run of play Napa found way to breakthrough with a goal to take a 2-1 lead. Marin fought but could not draw even while Napa scored another goal late to cement a 3-1 final score.
The loss was the Mariners first of conference play and ninth of the season.
Despite the loss Head Coach Geoff Aguiar was upbeat. "Given how today's game went, and the rest of the results around the Bay Valley, its clear that the title race is wide open."
The Mariners look to secure a victory in their next match. They host the Merritt College Thunderbirds in Kentfield on Friday, October 4th at 2pm.