Cougars Complete 2-0 Shutout vs. L.A. Mission
By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director
College of the Canyons picked up an important non-conference victory vs. L.A. Mission College on Friday night, snapping the Cougars winless streak to begin building some momentum heading into Western State Conference (WSC), South Division play.
Canyons (2-8-1) played a scoreless first half vs. LAMC (0-8-3), then used a pair of second half goals to move past the Eagles.
Goalkeeper Matthew Swanson (1-2), the current COC Student-Athlete of the Week, turned in another impressive performance in net, with five saves to complete the clean sheet.
The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the 50th minute on an unassisted goal by Tom Larcier. The score was the first of the year for the freshman and put Canyons in business at 1-0.
In the 54th minute it was Jason Nakoud extending the advantage for Canyons at 2-0, on a nifty goal that came on a nice touch from Larcier. The goal was Nakoud's second of the season and proved enough to maintain the Cougars' advantage.
The COC attack resulted in 19 shots, with 11 coming on goal, and three corner kicks. LAMC ended the contest with three corners and 11 total shots. Goalkeeper Anthony Martinez suffered the loss for the Eagles.
With nine regular season matches remaining on the schedule, Canyons will now begin WSC, South Division play on Tuesday, Oct. 11 with a trip north to Bakersfield College for a 1:30 p.m. start time.
The Cougars will return home on Friday, Oct. 14 for a 6 p.m. first touch vs. conference opponent Citrus College. Admission and live stream coverage on the Cougars Sports Network are both free.
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.
—Photo by Kyle Kawamoto/COC Sports Information