Monterey Bay’s Winning Streak Snapped at Four, Falls 3-1 to Orange County SC at Championship Soccer Stadium in Irvine
IRVINE, California (Saturday, July 1, 2023) – Monterey Bay F.C. (7-5-5, 26 points) saw its four match winning streak snapped with a 3-1 loss after a late collapse saw Orange County SC (6-8-4, 22 points) come from behind at Championship Soccer Stadium. Hugh Roberts II scored the opening goal of the match for Monterey Bay in the first half, but three goals in the final 20 minutes secured the win for OC.
With the hosts on the front foot to begin the match, Orange County SC earned a clear opportunity inside the box when the ball whipped in from the right found Marc McNulty in the 8th minute, but his header missed way wide of the right post. A minute later, Orange County fired another shot, this time on frame from the top of the 18-yard box, but it was covered up by Antony Siaha. After settling into the match, Monterey Bay began to control more of the possession as the half went on. In the 35th minute, Morey Doner earned a free kick in a dangerous position deep down the right sideline. James Murphy whipped the ball into the box from the set piece toward Roberts II, who rose up above everyone to get his head on it. The ball looped up into the air, over the goalkeeper and down just inside the top-right corner of the frame to give the Crisp and Kelp the 1-0 lead. Orange County SC nearly equalized twice in first half stoppage time, but a shot from Brian Iloski ricocheted off the crossbar and a laser less than a minute later from Kyle Scott missed just over the top, sending the sides into the halftime break with the Union on top.
Monterey Bay pushed forward on the attack in the 53rd minute with a run from Sam Gleadle that was complemented by Christian Volesky and Murphy to his left, but the defense closed it down and Gleadle’s shot from the right side was saved at the near post. A corner kick for Orange County in the 55th minute almost got the hosts on the board, but after dropping inside the box the ball was stopped at the near post and cleared away by the Union defense. Pressure began to build on Monterey Bay with Orange County SC continuing to push for the equalizer, but back-to-back saves by Siaha in the 56th and 58th minutes kept the hosts off the board through an hour of play. But in the 70th minute, Monterey Bay’s shutout streak came to an end at 282 minutes when Thomas Amang snuck a low ball past the outstretched foot of Siaha to level the match at 1-1. Eight minutes later, Orange County jumped in front 2-1 with a shot from Owen Lambe from close distance. Suddenly behind, Monterey Bay began to pile on the pressure in search of an equalizer. Second-half substitute Nevello Yoseke crossed the ball into the box from the left side, but Roberts’ header missed wide to the left. Amang then earned a penalty for the hosts in stoppage time when Siaha was late to challenge for a save. He converted the PK to the goalkeeper’s right to put the match away 3-1 in favor of Orange County, ending Monterey Bay’s league-leading winning streak at four.
Up Next: Monterey Bay continues on the road with a quick stop in Colorado Springs for a fixture with Switchbacks FC at Weidner Field on Tuesday, July 4 at 6 p.m. PT. The match can be streamed live on ESPN+.
Notes:
– Hugh Roberts II scored his first goal of the season for the Union and his first since May 28, 2022 in a 4-2 win over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Cardinale Stadium. On the play, James Murphy recorded his first regular season assist of the campaign.
– MBFC saw its shutout streak end at 282 minutes when OC scored in the 70th minute and saw its league-leading four-match winning streak come to an with the loss as well.
– The match marked a special return for Ugo Okoli, who has played more matches with Orange County SC (70) than any other club in his career to date.
– Monterey Bay came into the match with no names on the injury report for the first time this season.
Match: Orange County SC vs Monterey Bay F.C.
Date: July 1, 2023
Venue: Championship Soccer Stadium; Irvine, California
Weather: Clear and 70 degrees
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Orange County SC 0 3 3
Monterey Bay F.C. 1 0 1
MB: Hugh Roberts II (James Murphy) 35’
OC: Thomas Amang (Marc McNulty) 70’
OC: Owen Lamb (Ashish Chattha) 78’
OC: Thomas Amang (Penalty) 90+1’
Lineups:
Orange County SC (4-1-4-1): Colin Shutler, Ryan Doghman, Dillon Powers, Markus Nakkim, Owen Lamb; Kevin Partida; Milan Iloski (Daniel Pedersen, 86’), Kyle Scott (Ashish Chattha 72’), Seth Casiple (Oluwakorede Osundina, 86’), Brian Iloski (Thomas Amang, 55’); Marc McNulty (Andrew Fox, 86’)
Subs not used: Cody Cropper, Alex Villanueva
Monterey Bay F.C. (3-4-2-1): Antony Siaha; Mobi Fehr, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene; Walmer Martínez (Grant Robinson, 66’), James Murphy, Adrian Rebollar (Chuy Enríquez, 84’), Morey Doner; Alex Dixon (Nevello Yoseke, 79’), Sam Gleadle (Simon Dawkins, 84’); Christian Volesky (Ugo Okoli, 79’)
Subs not used: Carlos Herrera, Chase Boone
Stats Summary: OC / MB
Shots: 25 / 8
Shots on Goal: 11 / 2
Saves: 1 / 8
Corner Kicks: 9 / 5
Fouls: 12 / 11
Possession: 51.4% / 48.6%
Misconduct Summary:
OC: Dillon Powers (caution) 33’
MB: Adrian Rebollar (caution) 52’
MB: Walmer Martínez (caution) 56’
MB: Mobi Fehr (caution) 64’
MB: Morey Doner (caution) 75’
OC: Milan Iloski (caution) 83’
Officials:
Referee: Alex Beehler
Assistant Referee: Cameron Siler
Assistant Referee: Darren Bandy
Fourth Official: Servando Berna
