TAFT, CA - The Taft College Men's Soccer Team kicked off their season on August 25th on the road with a win, defeating College of the Canyons 1-0.
Taft looked determined since the start of the game to get a result away from home. Sophomore captain Tony Santano opened up the scoring in the 36th minute to put up Taft 1-0. The goal came from a high press from the offense to steal the ball up high which ended up in Omar Marquez's feet who passed the ball across goal for a tap in from Tony Santano.
Taft was able to keep most of the possession throughout the half and kept the lead into halftime. No shots were taken in the first half from College of the Canyons due to a great defensive effort from Taft's backline.
In the second half, there was a battle between College of the Canyons and Taft, but Taft was able to keep a clean sheet in the back from goalkeeper Brian Tifuno, who had 2 saves throughout the game.
TC was able to seal the game in the second half and put on a great performance in front of a favorable Taft College crowd.
After the game, TC Soccer Head Coach Angelo Cutrona shared his thoughts, "We played considerably well for our season opener being on the road. The 1-0 score line doesn't reflect how one-sided the game was. Canyons did not pass the half field in the first half. The score line could have been significantly more. Ultimately, we outplayed and outshot our opponent for a good 1-0 win. The team showed great support and energy for one another, and it was reflected in the high-level performance. Of course, there are things we can work on improving but overall, a great start to the season."
Coach Cutrona continued saying, "The Taft College Men's soccer support was also an incredible site to see. The atmosphere at Canyons felt like Taft College was the home team. It was a beautiful display of loyalty, support, and respect from our fans to come out and cheer the team on. We had alumni, parents and grandparents wearing TC gear and supporting the new 2023 team. It truly was special, and it put things in perspective that we have over two decades of TC soccer passion and pride in this program. I want to thank all the alumni and families that came out and all those who always show support to the new group of men representing the Black and Gold jersey. The amount of people at the game truly showed that we have built a positive culture and a tradition excellence that both past and present can be proud of."