LAMAR, CO – The Laramie County Community College men's soccer team took command early and didn't let Lamar Community College back into their match on Friday afternoon as they picked up their third win of the year, 4-1 over the Running Lopes.
The opening goal came in the 11th minute when Azael Marrufo finished a one-on-one break to put LCCC on top thanks to an assist from Diego Magana-Pineda.
Another would be added on thanks to an own goal from Lamar on a ball sent into the box from Caden Smith that was misplayed by the defense past their own keeper to put LCCC up 2-0 going into halftime.
"The first 20 minutes we came out flying around like we wanted to get a win and in the second half they came out with that same attitude to win for the next 45 minutes, and we did well," Head Coach Fernando Perez said.
LCCC continued their attack in the second half when a 49th minute goal from Marrufo for his second of the match from six yards out made it a comfortable 3-0 advantage.
It would be 25 minutes before the next strike from LCCC when Orlando Lopez-Gutierrez tacked on his first goal of the season in the 72nd after a pass from Yussuf Adan gave him a one-on-one that he was able to finish to put the Golden Eagles up 4-0.
While Lamar was able to get one back in the 75th minute, LCCC was never pressured enough to make a difference and finished off their third win on the season in controlling fashion.
"They did well," Perez praised. "The gameplan worked well, they executed it well. Our movement and our center midfield were good on the ball and the guys up top put the work in to create runs even if they didn't get the ball to benefit the team."
The defense for the Golden Eagles was on point all match, only allowing two shots on goal and only six total shots in the match to the Running Lopes and Perez said it was a team effort that brought that about.
"I think we are turning that page," Perez said. "It's going to take all 25 of us to get the nitty gritty wins as a group. It's all getting put together at the right time."
LCCC heads back north for their second match of the weekend when they face off against Northeastern Junior College on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 pm.
Streaming and match information can be found at www.golccc.com.