Sophomore forward Alec Afarian took control of a lose ball that he attempted to turn towards a goal when he was brought down in the penalty area by a Santa Ana defender. After a penalty was awarded, Afarian stepped up and calmly passed the ball into the net to pull the Hornets level in the 83rd minute.
“I noticed they were laying off me too much so I turned to shoot, and the guy ran over my back and I got the call,” Afarian said. “I knew it was best to let the goalie do what he does and pick my spot and check out of everything else.”
The Hornets fell behind after Santa Ana freshman forward Carlos Barrios’ shot found the back of the net in the 21st minute. The Hornets got off to a slow start and were under pressure for the entire first half. They went into halftime trailing 1-0.
Fullerton opened the second half on the front foot and put Santa Ana under constant ball pressure and would not allow any easy possession. With the Hornets coming on strong both teams turned up the intensity.
There was strong second half play from freshman midfielders Matthew Lares and Eduin Munguia, who both played well with each other to create chances.
“We have a young team and they got a little too excited for the first conference game and got tired, which led to sloppy play,” said head coach Alex Perez. “During halftime we told the team to settle down and let the game come to them and it showed.”
There was a different atmosphere to this game as one would expect in a rivalry game, and the crowds showed up to support their teams. The game was hard fought and a few players took some exception to others. Both teams showed their number one goal was to win and a great game was the result.
“That’s a good team and although there is stuff to be improved, I am confident in our chances for conference play. We can play with anyone.” said Perez.
The Hornets (2-5-1) continue conference play on the road to take on Irvine College Friday at 3 p.m. Their next home game is on October 6 at 3 p.m. where they take on defending conference champions Golden West College on campus.
