Photo by Dalia Joudi
Photo by Dalia Joudi

Warriors Edge Cypress in Playoff Opener

TORRANCE, Calif. – Kalyl Silva supplied the only offense of the night as No. 4 El Camino College blanked No. 13 Cypress 1-0 in the California Community College Athletic Association Men's Soccer SoCal Regional Playoff opener Saturday at Murdock Stadium.

Silva lofted a header high and over Chargers goalkeeper Leonardo Mondragon in the 43rd minute to put the Warriors up 1-0 and the defense made the lead stand. Homer Santos and Melvyn Perez-Cortez each recorded an assist on the play while Luis Garibay made three saves to secure the win.

The Warriors will now host No. 5 Orange Coast in round two. The Pirates downed Irvine Valley in round one, 5-1, thanks to five unanswered goals including four in overtime.

On Saturday night, the Warriors were on the attack most of the night, outshooting the Chargers 14-7 including an 8-3 advantage in shots on target.

But the Chargers did have a few chances in the second half, the closest coming as time was winding down in the second half. The Chargers sent a long, leading cross into the box with forward getting behind the ECC back line. But Garibay charged out and punched the ball away just before the Chargers player got a header on it, clearing the danger. Time would expire soon after to give the Warriors the win.