Hornets striker Misael Gonzalez had no mercy, passing through defenders and smashing the ball into the rival net, while the defense secured their side and locked up a massive 4-0 win at Sherbeck Field over the Chargers on Friday night.
Not only being the game’s star again with two quick goals and one assist, OEC’s top goal scorer Gonzalez keeps impressing as he scored his 16th goal and gave his fifth assist of the season in only 12 games.
With Cypress starting to pressure, Fullerton (12-1-1, 5-0-1) relied on quick counter attack plays to try scoring at the beginning of the first half .
The Fullerton crowd erupted at the 13-minute mark as Gonzalez tapped in an assist from freshman midfielder Cesar Marquez. Seconds later silence took over, when the sideline referee ruled the goal offside.
However, Gonzalez kept the momentum as just a minute later, he slammed in an assist from freshman forward Hayden Kenny, leaving Chargers freshman goalkeeper Jared Johnson no time to recover and stop the ball from hitting the back of the net.
From that point on, the Hornets took control of the ball and began pressing on their attacking side. The Hornets had the Chargers defenders in a daze, as they were dominating the time of possession to start.
Never pushed back by the Chargers (4-7-2, 2-3-1), Fullerton scored its second goal at the 22-minute mark as Gonzales again controlled a long ball passed from the midfield, and smashed it into the back of the net. The Hornets lead grew to 2-0.
“It is just in the moment. If I have the shot I am taking it,” said Gonzalez. “Could not get the hat-trick, but we are always looking for it.”
Chargers Head Coach Cristian Rus reacted after the second goal quickly, substituting their freshman wing Angel Cristobal with freshman forward Steven Ibanez, intending to freshen their attack.
Hornets head coach Greg Aviles countered with changes as he substituted sophomore midfielder Brian Aragon with freshman forward Juan Luis Quintana, and sophomore defender Diego Duenas with freshman midfielder Omar Ruiz.
Straight from the bench, Quintana stung the Charger’s net via an assist from freshman midfielder Garret Eikermann at the 27-minute on the mark, taking the Hornets to half time with a 3-0 lead.
The Chargers continued to believe as they started the second half on the pressure, creating plays on their attacking side of the field. To the dismay of the Chargers, they faced a Hornet’s defense looking to lock down and not let a three goal lead slip out of their hands again.
“We just kind of learned from our mistakes, we did not stop,” said Aviles. “Last time we settled down a little bit and we got a little complacent. Today we just kept going.”
As time passed, Fullerton again gained control and began switching the pressure to Cypress’ defensive side. Gonzalez tried to get his third strike on a quick counter attack shot, but missed the goal by just a few inches.
Not tired, in the 53-minute mark, Gonzalez appeared again and assisted Kenny who slammed the round-shaped in for the Hornet’s forth and last goal of the night.
“If I do not have the shot, I am not going to be selfish. Always trying to create what is best for the team,” said Gonzalez.
Aviles seemed more relaxed with this lead, as he then made 8 substitutions, giving chances for other players to have some time on the pitch.
“It was just giving some different guys some opportunities,” said Aviles. “We just did what is kind of like a different look.”
Freshman defender Evan Yoell committed a foul on Cypress defender Jordy Galan and was sanctioned with the lone yellow card of the game.
The Hornets will have four days to rest and prepare for their next match up, which will be on the road against the Golden West Rustlers (4-3-6, 3-1-2), on Tuesday, Oct. 17 at 3 p.m.
