Giants Battle to Draw Against Modesto, Fall Short to Allan Hancock

The College of the Sequoias men's soccer team faced a challenging week with back-to-back home matches against Modesto and Allan Hancock. In a hard-fought draw with Modesto on September 13, the Giants battled back from an early deficit, while earlier in the week, they struggled to find a breakthrough in a loss to Allan Hancock on September 10. Here's a look at both matchups.

Allan Hancock 2, COS 0 

In a hard-fought match at Sequoias Stadium, the College of the Sequoias men's soccer team fell 2-0 to Allan Hancock on September 10. After a scoreless first half, Hancock broke through in the final 10 minutes of play with two late goals to secure the win. 

The Giants' defense held strong for much of the match, with goalkeeper Zachary Ramirez (Orange Cove HS) making eight saves to keep the game level. However, Hancock's Erick Jimenez opened the scoring in the 82nd minute with an assist from Anthony Tamayo. Just six minutes later, Tamayo sealed the victory with a goal of his own, assisted by Jimenez. 

"We defended well for most of the game, but we lost focus at key moments," said Head Coach Abraham Campos. "The late goals were tough, but our team showed resilience." 

Despite the result, the Giants created chances throughout the match, earning nine corner kicks but did not convert offensively. "We had opportunities but couldn't capitalize. Moving forward, we need to execute and stay disciplined for the full 90 minutes," added Campos. 

Sequoias 2, Modesto 2

In a back-and-forth battle, the College of the Sequoias men's soccer team secured a 2-2 draw against Modesto at home on September 13.  

The Giants struck first, taking a 2-0 lead with two early goals as Angel Rodriguez (Golden West HS) scored in the 27th minute off an assist from Yahir Ramos (Granite Hills HS). Just 11 minutes later, Ramos found the back of the net himself, assisted by Ricardo Lemus-Frausto (Golden West HS). However, Modesto responded by scoring twice, which led to the draw. 

The second half saw increased physicality, with several yellow cards and two red cards issued. Sequoias held strong defensively, thanks in large part to goalkeeper Zachary Ramirez, who made four saves. "We competed and played hard late in the match, even when we went down a man, but we need to clean up our mistakes and stay disciplined," said Head Coach Abraham Campos.  

Upcoming Matches 

The Giants will aim to get back into the win column in their next match as they continue their home stretch on Friday, September 20, when they host Monterey Peninsula at 2:00 p.m. They will also host a doubleheader on Tuesday, September 24 with the Women's hosting Lemoore College at 12:00 p.m. and the Men's hosting Consumes River College at 2:00 p.m.