Heavy rain that soaked Robinson Stadium's turf seemed to take away whatever momentum the Pasadena City College men's soccer team had going into its season finale Tuesday. But newly-named team captain Esai Matchan refused to let his team mail it in after the Lancers fell behind 4-0 by the game's 28th minute.
Instead, Matchan led a momentous comeback, scoring on a breakaway in the 35th minute, then netting two more goals, the last in the 85th minute as PCC shocked Harbor, 5-4, in the ninth place final of the South Coast Conference Tournament.
PCC finished the 2022 season at 8-10-2 after a promising 6-1-2 beginning of the year. The victory actually stopped a 7-game winless streak (0-6-1). Pasadena made a 3-win improvement from last season under part-time head coach Gerry Mora, who directed the team with no assistant coach due to administrative hurdles.
The forgettable (for the Lancers) first half started with defender Edson Zamarron trying to clear an opening play inside the goalie's box, but the ball stopped in the slosh as LA Harbor's Eliseo "Jaime" Mejia stole it and scored 43 seconds into the game.
Mejia scored two more goals in the next nine minutes and Adrian Garcia added a breakaway for a 4-0 Harbor lead as the 2-17 Seahawks figured it would go on to its third win.
Matchan went to work to give PCC some life as the team trailed 4-1 at halftime. In the second half, the Lancers were determined to rally but not until the 70th minute did the team catch a break. A foul in the box allowed Matchan to rip a penalty shot goal into the upper net that trimmed the Seahawks lead.
In the 79th minute, sophomore Nicholas Malooley received a cross from Juaning Balmelli and his blast from the 8-yard line cut a once insurmountable lead to one. Just 44 seconds later, Matchan fed Kareem Browne who drove home the tying goal. Finally with about five minutes left in regulation, Browne returned the favor sending a lead pass to Matchan as the freshman flew into the box and completed a hat trick as well as completing a 5-goal comeback for the win.
It is the first 3-goal game by a PCC player in 11 years as Irving Rosales scored a hattie in the team's home finale on Nov. 4, 2011 during a 4-2 victory over El Camino.
"We had such a slow start and it seemed that the ball slowing down on the wet artificial turf proved to take us off our game," Mora said. "However, we put together an excellent effort collectively in the second half. Esai stepped up and the fight and spark was there in trying to get a win for our sophomores in their last game. We managed to attack the goal as much as possible and got the result."
On Nov. 4 at East Los Angeles College, PCC opened the SCC tourney in a 5-2 loss to the Huskies. Matchan scored both of the Lancers goals to give the team 1-0 and 2-1 leads, but ELAC reserve forward Anco Veigo incredibly scored four consecutive goals to give the Huskies the triumph.
On Oct. 28 at PCC, the Lancers rallied from a 2-0 deficit on goals by Brian Asaije and Osmar Rojas to earn a 2-2 tie v. Long Beach City College.
Matchan had the finest offensive season by a Lancer since 2011 when both Gor Kirakosyan (34 points) and Rosales (32 points) scored 14 goals each. Matchan finished with a team-high 32 points on 13 goals and six assists and already is tied for 17th on the all-time PCC scoring list. If he should return for a second season, he has a chance to become the school's all-time leader in points, currently occupied by 1999-2000 Lancer great Paolo Saenz with 65 points.
Matchan, a striker from La Serna High, is the son of PCC Police Chief Steven Matchan.
Freshman Osmar Rojas scored five goals and added a team-high eight assists this season. Goalkeeper Kristopher Gutierrez finished with 95 saves and his 122 career saves puts him sixth all-time and his 28 games defending goal are fourth best in PCC history. Gutierrez, Browne, Zamarron, Malooley completed their 2-year careers as Lancers.
Esai Matchan scores one of his two goals at East Los Angeles College on Friday, Nov. 4.
