Down a man for 60-plus minutes, Orange County SC got a first-half stoppage time Ronaldo Damus goal along with another clean sheet to defeat Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 1-0, in the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs, presented by TwinSpires: Western Conference Quarterfinals on Saturday, November 6 at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. OCSC will host Oakland Roots SC in the Western Conference Semifinal next week.
In their first home playoff game since the 2018 season, OCSC prepared to fend off the newly minted 2021 USL Championship Golden Boot winner Hadji Barry and the rest of Colorado’s offense. However, OCSC had to adjust their defensive and matchup strategies 30 minutes into the first half after a straight red card for defender Robbie Kiernan. OCSC was never shown a red card during the regular season.
Interim head coach Richard Chaplow called on 17-year-old defender Kobi Henry, who was just named to the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team, to keep four defenders in the back for OCSC. Midfielder Mikko Kuningas, who received a yellow card, was subbed off and OCSC played with 10 men the rest of the way.
Despite being a man down, OCSC did not let up on offense and pressured the Colorado defense. Off of a long throw-in from Brent Richards, the ball ricocheted inside the box before sneaking out of the penalty area. The ball landed to midfielder Thomas McCabe who sent a bouncing ball back into the box where Damus took it on his right foot, created space and shot the ball high into the back of the net with his left foot. Championship Soccer Stadium erupted into cheers and OCSC went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, OCSC remained strong in the defensive third of the pitch and still looked to add to their lead. The defense, led by Michael Orozco and Kevin Alston, kept Barry at bay and allowed goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky to cover any loose balls in the penalty box. As a team, OCSC had 27 clearances to Colorado’s 13 clearances.
With their fifth clean sheet in their last six matches, OCSC earned a spot in the Western Conference Semifinal against Pacific Division rivals Oakland Roots SC on Saturday, November 13 at 7pm at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. Tickets can be purchased https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/playoffs.
Down a man for 60-plus minutes, Orange County SC got a first-half stoppage time Ronaldo Damus goal along with another clean sheet to defeat Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 1-0, in the 2021 USL Championship Playoffs, presented by TwinSpires: Western Conference Quarterfinals on Saturday, November 6 at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. OCSC will host Oakland Roots SC in the Western Conference Semifinal next week.
In their first home playoff game since the 2018 season, OCSC prepared to fend off the newly minted 2021 USL Championship Golden Boot winner Hadji Barry and the rest of Colorado’s offense. However, OCSC had to adjust their defensive and matchup strategies 30 minutes into the first half after a straight red card for defender Robbie Kiernan. OCSC was never shown a red card during the regular season.
Interim head coach Richard Chaplow called on 17-year-old defender Kobi Henry, who was just named to the U.S. U-20 Men’s National Team, to keep four defenders in the back for OCSC. Midfielder Mikko Kuningas, who received a yellow card, was subbed off and OCSC played with 10 men the rest of the way.
Despite being a man down, OCSC did not let up on offense and pressured the Colorado defense. Off of a long throw-in from Brent Richards, the ball ricocheted inside the box before sneaking out of the penalty area. The ball landed to midfielder Thomas McCabe who sent a bouncing ball back into the box where Damus took it on his right foot, created space and shot the ball high into the back of the net with his left foot. Championship Soccer Stadium erupted into cheers and OCSC went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, OCSC remained strong in the defensive third of the pitch and still looked to add to their lead. The defense, led by Michael Orozco and Kevin Alston, kept Barry at bay and allowed goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky to cover any loose balls in the penalty box. As a team, OCSC had 27 clearances to Colorado’s 13 clearances.
With their fifth clean sheet in their last six matches, OCSC earned a spot in the Western Conference Semifinal against Pacific Division rivals Oakland Roots SC on Saturday, November 13 at 7pm at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. Tickets can be purchased https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/playoffs.
Orange County SC vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
2021 USL Championship Playoffs, presented by TwinSpires | Western Conference Quarterfinal
Date: November 06, 2021
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PDT
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
Weather: Foggy with a shade of orange.
SCORING SUMMARY:
OCSC: Ronaldo Damus 45+1’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
20’ Mikko Kuningas
31’ Robbie Kiernan (RED)
51’ Michael Orozco
53’ Ronaldo Damus
90+6’ Abraham Romero
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC
27’ Jimmy Ockford
66’ Deshane Beckford
85’ Tristan Hodge
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Patrick Rakovsky (GK), Kevin Alston, Dillon Powers, Robbie Kiernan, Michael Orozco (
C ), Brian Iloski, Ronaldo Damus, Thomas McCabe (75’ Seth Casiple), Eric Calvillo, Brent Richards, Mikko Kuningas (33’ Kobi Henry)
Unused subs: Abraham Romero (GK), Thomas Enevoldsen, Darwin Jones, Ugo Okoli, Nate Smith
Head Coach: Richard Chaplow (Interim)
Possession: 37.8% | Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 2 | Fouls: 10 | Offsides: 1 |
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC LINEUP:
Sean Melvin (GK), Matthew Mahoney, Jose Torres (11’ Andre Lewis), Zachary Zandi, Thomas Amang, Hadji Barry, Jimmy Ockford ( C ), Beverly Makangila (74’ Dantouma Toure), Dillon Serna, Sebastian Anderson (62’ Deshane Beckford), Tristan Hodge
Unused subs: Abraham Rodriguez (GK), Rony Arqueta, Steven Echeverria, Michael Edwards
Head Coach: Brendan Burke
Possession: 62.2% | Shots: 20 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corners: 8 | Fouls: 20 | Offsides: 3 |
Orange County SC vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
2021 USL Championship Playoffs, presented by TwinSpires | Western Conference Quarterfinal
Date: November 06, 2021
Kickoff: 7:00 PM PDT
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium (Irvine, CA)
Weather: Foggy with a shade of orange.
SCORING SUMMARY:
OCSC: Ronaldo Damus 45+1’
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
20’ Mikko Kuningas
31’ Robbie Kiernan (RED)
51’ Michael Orozco
53’ Ronaldo Damus
90+6’ Abraham Romero
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC
27’ Jimmy Ockford
66’ Deshane Beckford
85’ Tristan Hodge
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Patrick Rakovsky (GK), Kevin Alston, Dillon Powers, Robbie Kiernan, Michael Orozco (
C ), Brian Iloski, Ronaldo Damus, Thomas McCabe (75’ Seth Casiple), Eric Calvillo, Brent Richards, Mikko Kuningas (33’ Kobi Henry)
Unused subs: Abraham Romero (GK), Thomas Enevoldsen, Darwin Jones, Ugo Okoli, Nate Smith
Head Coach: Richard Chaplow (Interim)
Possession: 37.8% | Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 2 | Fouls: 10 | Offsides: 1 |
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC LINEUP:
Sean Melvin (GK), Matthew Mahoney, Jose Torres (11’ Andre Lewis), Zachary Zandi, Thomas Amang, Hadji Barry, Jimmy Ockford ( C ), Beverly Makangila (74’ Dantouma Toure), Dillon Serna, Sebastian Anderson (62’ Deshane Beckford), Tristan Hodge
Unused subs: Abraham Rodriguez (GK), Rony Arqueta, Steven Echeverria, Michael Edwards
Head Coach: Brendan Burke
Possession: 62.2% | Shots: 20 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corners: 8 | Fouls: 20 | Offsides: 3 |