The Fresno City College men’s soccer team beat Rio Hondo 2-0 to pick up its first win of the season on Saturday. 

The win was driven by a veteran presence through the leadership of sophomores Eduardo Segura and Mason Gonzalez. 

Seven minutes into the match, midfielder Eduardo Segura charged the goal and took contact from the opposing goalie, granting him a free kick that he’d take advantage of to put the Rams’ up 1-0.

The remaining first half was characterized by FCC’s possession of the ball and aggressive shooting, but to no avail.

“Maybe if we got rolling a little bit early on it would’ve taken the pressure off of our guys for the rest of the game,” said Head Coach Eric Solberg.

“We had probably four or five really good looks. I think the goals will come and we’ll settle into that,” he said.

In the second half, Rio Hondo turned the tables and broke through a faltering Rams’ defense multiple times only to come up empty.

On the offensive side, the Rams methodically passed their way up the pitch to give  themselves opportunity on goal. Segura’s help added to the scoreboard after assisting forward Mason Gonzalez. 

Even though FCC came out on top in the end, the Rams’ had their moments where improvement was necessary.

“Of the three games we played, I thought this was the poorest,” Solberg said. 

He highlighted the team’s slow speed with the ball, bad touches and lack of connection with their passes, making it a frustrating game for him to watch from the sidelines.

Solberg took note of the Roadrunners’ play, adjusting his players accordingly. “We wanted to press them, because it appeared they might cough the ball up if we executed that,” said Solberg.

“We just never got a good rhythm in the middle of the field or got comfortable with knocking the ball around, which we usually do pretty well,” he said.

The upcoming week has the Rams’ fighting uphill after Saturday’s shaky success.

FCC will matchup against a hot Cañada team on Wednesday, Sept.11, and the perennially impressive West Valley on Saturday, Sept. 14. 

“If we play against them the way we played today, we’re going to drop a couple of games,” Solberg added.

Solberg added that the veteran presence in the match against Rio Hondo should be emphasized in their practices, and their focus would shift toward improvements on urgency and quick play. 

“You can’t recreate the game in practice, but you’ve got to get as close as you can and that’s what’s next,” Solberg said.

The Rams start a five-game road trip on Wednesday, Sept. 11 and will return home on Tuesday, Oct. 1 to take on Clovis Community College.