Training Report: Day 4 in Ventura

OXNARD, Calif. — The San Jose Earthquakes continued their stay in Southern California on Wednesday with a two-hour training session at Oxnard Community College.

After warming up with a game of handball and technical drills, the team broke into three teams for a series of short-field matches. Due to gusting winds, coaches mandated that all passes stay on the ground during the scrimmages.

GAME 1
In the first game, Steven Lenhart tallied first with a vicious strike that just beat Andrew Weber. For his part, Weber deflected the shot, but pace won out as the ball ricocheted just inside the crossbar for a goal.

Joey Gjertsen leveled for his squad minutes later with a clinical finish to the far post. Gjertsen side-volleyed the game winner in the late stages after an Omar Jasseh shot from the left beat David Bingham, but deflected off the crossbar.

GAME 2
Ryan Johnson opened the scoring in the second match after taking a through ball from Jasseh. Johnson narrowly beat offside call then collected and tucked the ball away in a 1v1 with Jon Busch.

Blue equalized in the second half courtesy of one of the seven trialists in camp took a shot on goal that was deflected, but bounced in.

GAME 3
Ike Opara had the play of the game, knocking a shot off the line from a trialist from Yellow that was destined for goal.

Yellow would bounce back later in the first half with a pair of trialists linking up for a score. Wondo leveled soon after for Blue after a trialist laid a ball off 10 yards out that the 2010 Golden Boot winner placed into the lower left corner.

Lenhart didn’t waste time in regaining Yellow’s lead. The rangy striker took a small touch before punching a shot into the side netting on the left. A trialist doubled Yellow’s lead moments later after finding space on the right side and bending a shot to the far corner.

Wondo pulled one back for blue late in the second half, tapping home a cross at the far post from Ike Opara, but Yellow took the win in the end.

Scrimmage Teams: