The Fresno City College men’s soccer team beat Clovis Community College 5-0 in their first conference game of the year on Tuesday, Oct.1. The win improves the Rams to 6-0-3.

The Rams took on the Crush in a rivalry match that saw both teams rushing out of the gate with high energy.

FCC jumped ahead with a goal from freshman midfielder Gerado Mora in the first 11 minutes of the match. Freshman forward Michael Gonzalez picked up an assist on the play.

At the 43 minute mark, freshman defender Michael Arrington closed the first half with an unassisted goal to raise the Rams to 2-0.

However, the Rams’ performance in the first half was not indicative of the score. Their fast paced play worked against them, leading to a hasty passing game that saw them lose many possessions.

“We started playing the ball too long and too often. We started missing feet,” said head coach Eric Solberg. 

The Rams opened the second half with a plan to use their outside midfielders to spread the game out, thereby opening up lanes to create scoring opportunities. FCC has only given up one goal this season, so a third goal from the Rams would set the tone for the rest of the match.

“We told them [Clovis] when the third goal comes, they’re going to be in trouble,” said Solberg.

Trouble arrived for Clovis when sophomore defender Joe Damian assisted a goal by sophomore defender Pedro Gomes just three minutes into the second half. 

At 63:00, sophomore midfielder Eduardo Segura was assisted by Michael Gonzalez to rifle in the Rams’ fourth goal of the day. Segura, the team’s captain, led the second half with a controlled fire that charged the Rams’ performance.

“He’s our heart and soul. He’s the straw that stirs the drink,” said Solberg. He intends to sit Segura the next match as a precautionary measure, believing that he may have tweaked a previous stress fracture while playing against Clovis on Tuesday. 

While Segura stands as the Rams’ leader, Michael Arrington has arose as one of the team’s top performers. Arrington scored his second goal after an assist from Pedro Gomes at 75:00. This would be the fifth and final goal of the evening for both teams.

“I knew he was going to be good enough to start for us, but he’s been great at playing lockdown defense and moving forward offensively,” said Solberg. “He’s been a tremendous addition and we’re very fortunate to have him.”

Arrington came to FCC from Division II Fresno Pacific University and credits his team for embracing him in a new environment ready to win. 

“With this team I just do what I can to help my teammates get better. I have all my trust and faith in them, and I know they have the same for me,” said Arrington. He says that the team’s energy bounces off one another to create turnarounds like that against Clovis.

“When there’s positive energy all around, you’re going to get it from not just the 11 players on the field, but from all the players that are on the team,” he said. The humility amongst the Rams is executed by the players and promoted by the coaching staff.

“We just have to make sure we don’t think we’re too good. We have the makings to have a great year, so we just have to stay focused on the season ahead of us,” said Solberg.

The Rams return home on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 4 p.m. to take on Los Angeles Mission College (1-5-3).

Gallery • 4 Photos

Photo by: Patrick Henslee

Freshman defender Michael Arrington takes a shot against Clovis Community College on Tuesday, Oct. 1.