City College men’s soccer lost to Taft, 1-0, in a nonconference home debut Thursday, Sept. 5 at La Playa Stadium.

The Vaqueros started the game with excitement and precision but the Taft College Cougars ended up with the one and only goal of the game. Taft’s Anthony Ulloa dribbled around Vaquero keeper and deflected the shot off a City College defender with eight minutes left in the first half.

“We’re trying to play as simple as we can,” said Adam Colton (No. 4) team captain.

Going into the second half the Vaqueros seemed to lose some of their morale. The team is very diverse this year, with many players from out of the country. This factor alone is something that could make or break their squad.

“We are definitely getting there,” said Head Coach John Sisterson.“Our team is very diverse.”

8 of the 11 starters on Thursday night were international players. Sisterson says that this diversity could be one reason why the team is having a slow start. Having a mixed squad could lead to team conflict, but Colton is trying to bring the team together by using their day off as a fun beach day to bond.

“We’re trying to do things together,” said Colton. Colton said the team is looking forward to playing Oxnard College, the 2012 Western State Conference Champions. The Vaqueros face the Condors for the first time this season at La Playa Stadium Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.

With 13 of the 34 players being from the United States, the team is hoping to gain some outside knowledge. The international players come from Columbia, United Kingdom, Australia, England, Tunisia, Denmark, Sweden and Italy. City College is well known for its international accommodation.

The Vaqueros opened the season on Aug. 27 against L.A Harbor with a loss of 4-2. The next game is set for Sept. 17 against Hancock at La Playa Stadium at 2 p.m.