Cougars Fall 2-1 to AVC in Home Finale

Story and photo by Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information

In a tough battle, College of the Canyons fell to Antelope Valley College in a 2-1 loss Tuesday night that spoiled the Cougars' final home game of the 2021 season.

Canyons (6-7-7, 2-2-3) was slow to get going as Antelope Valley (11-3-5, 4-1-3) controlled a good portion of the first half. That effort ultimately le to the Marauders' first goal of the match coming on a penalty kick in the 22nd minute.  

The Cougars came alive after the PK, however, connecting passes and creating several opportunities that eventually led to the first half equalizer. An assist from COC's Roger Sandino allowed freshman Josh Swanson to put it past AVC goalkeeper Bryan Rios Martinez for his seventh of the season. 

At the start of the second half, both teams came out with equal persistence.

But a goal in the 60th minute by AVC's David Rodriguez Tafoya started an uphill battle for the Cougars that continued over the next 30 minutes. 

Not 10 minutes later, COC was playing with a man down due to a double yellow card leaving them to defend the rest of the half.

Canyons' goalkeeper Julian Villafan maintained hope for the Cougars with a huge save in the 76th minute, keeping the score at 2-1. Villifan played the full 90 minutes and recorded six saves, giving up two goals and taking the loss.

Though the Cougars were focused on defending, they were also able to put together a couple more scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, they were not able to put one away before the final whistle blew. 

COC will be play its final regular season game at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12 on the road at Bakersfield. 

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.