Orange County SC opened the 2022 USL Championship regular season with a 2-1 defeat against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field.
With new faces and similar ones, OCSC got situated and held their own while finding holes in the Switchback defense. Midfielder Mikko Kuningas had his sight on goal, but was brought down by last season’s Golden Boot winner Hadji Barry. The free kick went into the wall.
OCSC goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky kept the match scoreless with a point blank one-hand save. However, the Switchbacks got the first goal in the 37’ from Michee Ngalina on a crossing shot that redirected off the far post. The Switchbacks got their second goal from Malik Johnson in the 51’ beating the OCSC defense.
In his debut, Milan Iloski grabbed OCSC’s only goal in 82’ and nearly equalized in the final minutes. With the one-goal deficit, OCSC pushed until the very end and created chances that fell short.
18-year-old forward Korede Osundina made his professional debut and contributed on the wing in the OCSC’s final attack. He joined 17-year-old Kobi Henry and 19-year-old Alex Villanueva as the teenagers that played in this opener.
Daniel Pedersen, Hunter Gorskie and Albi Skendi also made their team debuts in the second half.
OCSC opens their home schedule on Saturday, March 19 against Rio Grande Valley FC Toros at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine. Prior to kickoff, OCSC will unveil their 2021 USL Championship title banner and host their first Beer Fest of the season. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.orangecountysoccer.com/tickets/.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| COS | 1 | 1 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
37’ Michee Ngalina (COS)
51’ Malik Johnson (COS)
82’ Milan Iloski (OCSC)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
8’ Kobi Henry
70’ Danny Acosta
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC
18’ Hadji Barry
54’ Dennis Erdmann
69’ Jimmy Ockford
71’ Cameron Lindley
88’ Steven Echeverria
90+4’ Kharlton Belmar
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Patrick Rakovsky (GK), Alex Villanueva (64’ Daniel Pedersen), Michael Orozco (
C ), Milan Iloski, Seth Casiple (76’ Korede Osundina), Cubo Torres (64’ Ugo Okoli), Tony Rocha (83’ Albi Skendi), Kevin Partida, Kobi Henry, Danny Acosta (76’ Hunter Gorskie), Mikko Kuningas
Unused subs: Colin Shutler (GK), Thomas McCabe
Head Coach: Richard Chaplow
Possession: 52.8% | Shots: 7 | Shots On Goal: 1 | Corners: 0 | Fouls: 20 | Offsides: 2 |
COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC LINEUP:
Jeff Caldwell (GK), Michee Ngalina, Hadji Barry ( C ), Jimmy Ockford, Elvis Amoh (79’ Kharlton Belmar), Matt Mahoney, Dennis Erdmann, Malik Johnson (67’ Ben Mines), Triston Hodge, Zach Zandi (86’ Steven Echeverria), Cam Lindley (79’ Beverly Makangila)
Unused subs: Christian Herrera (GK), Yesin Van Der Pluijm, Isaiah Foster
Head Coach: Brendan Burke
Possession: 47.2% | Shots: 8 | Shots On Goal: 4 | Corners: 5 | Fouls: 16 | Offsides: 5 |
Orange County SC vs Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
2022 USL Championship | Matchday 1
Date: March 12, 2022
Kickoff: 6:00 PM MT (5:00 PM PDT)
Venue: Weidner Field (Colorado Springs, CO)
Weather: Frigid.