Allan Hancock College handed the City College men’s soccer team its first loss of conference play Tuesday afternoon at La Playa Stadium. 

The Vaqueros have a habit of getting off to hot starts and Tuesday was no different. City College was awarded a penalty kick at the 11-minute mark. Freshman Midfielder Jonas Romero stepped up but was denied by Hancock’s goalie Maisen Baro. Luckily, Hans Nordin was there for the rebound and kicked it in to take the early lead. 

Hancock was able to tie the game up at minute 18 when forward Bryan Gomez ripped a shot past City College goalkeeper Patrick Mahon. 

“We lost our winning spirit and our will to work hard,” said Nordin. “They just sucked the air out of us.”

The Vaqueros adapted and nearly took the lead only three minutes later when midfielder Alexander Foy got a good header on target but was denied by the post. 

“This was one to forget. I think we started off brightly,” said Head Coach John Sisterson. “It wasn’t meant to be today.”

Hancock was able to score two goals in a span of five minutes, extending their lead to 3-1. 

City College responded just two minutes later when freshman midfielder Lalo Corrales won possession back and blasted in a shot from 20 yards out, ending the first half 3-2 in favor of the Hancock Bulldogs.

The Vaqueros had hoped to regroup in the second half and had several opportunities to get back into the game but couldn’t catch up. 

“We never got to our level during this game, all parts of our team never reached its full potential today and it’s a disappointing loss,” said forward Christopher Robinson. “We have to get back to our game, break down where it went wrong today and look forward to the next game.”

At the 70 minute mark Hancock was able to extend their lead to 4-2. The Vaqueros gave up a free-kick at the 83 minute mark, just outside the 18-yard box. Hancock didn’t waste the opportunity and converted to make it 5-2 and hand the City College men’s soccer team their first loss in five games. 

“Nobody likes losing and the guys are very disappointed by the result so hopefully we can pick them up,” said Sisterson. “It’s fortunate that we got another game coming up quickly to put things right.” 

The Vaqueros continue conference play Friday afternoon when they take on rival Oxnard College on the road.