The playoffs eluded the Vaquero men’s soccer team when a last minute miracle found the back of the net.

Victor Velasco of Hancock College curled a corner kick past the City College goalkeeper, Grant Gamble.

“The shot that Grant let in is as bad as it gets,” Head Coach Ken Newendorp told his players after the game. “But we got to figure out how to score more than one goal.”

The 1-1 tie gave City College, now 3-5-4, just one point in the standings. With only three games left, the Vaqueros will miss out on the playoffs.

The in-swinging corner kick came two minutes into extra time, shocking the 11 Vaquero defenders.

“We made one mistake and it cost us,” said sophomore defender Armond Richards. “We had no front-post defenders and the keeper couldn’t get a hand to it.”

“Playoffs are pretty much shot, we just don’t have enough points,” added Richards.

The game was all-square at the half with neither team able to finish opportunities.

It wasn’t until the sixtieth minute that Jake Joyner put the Vaqs ahead with a cracking goal.

Joyner, a sophomore forward, hit a beautiful shot from outside the box that froze the opposing keeper.

“It felt nice to finally hit one in a game,” said Joyner, who was denied by the cross-bar in the first half. City College had no problem creating chances.

They shot the ball 15 times, but only managed five on goal. The miracle goal was frustrating for the men in red. Coach Newendorp sat on the sidelines long after the final whistle, scratching his head.

“99 percent of the time that ball gets cleared,” said Newendorp. “But we can’t put all the blame on Grant. We have to figure out how to score.”

The men have had problems finding the back of the net. They have only scored more than two goals once, that came in the second game of the season.

Newendorp told his team after the game that he wants them to “finish strong.” He emphasized that his teams needed to produce on the offense.

“That’s what happens when you don’t finish your chances,” Newendorp added. “You give your opponent hope. When you give them hope they create chances and they finished.”

The Vaqueros will be playing for pride when they take on Oxnard College at 7 p.m. on Friday under the lights of La Playa Stadium.