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:
<strong>ORANGE</strong> |
<strong>BLUE</strong> |
<strong>YELLOW</strong> |
Weber<br>Leitch<br>McDonald<br>Trialist<br>Donatelli<br>Trialist<br>Johnson<br>Jasseh<br>Gjertsen<br> |
Busch<br>Opara<br>Beitashour<br>Corrales<br>Ampai<br>Trialist<br>Trialist<br>Wondo<br>Convey |
Bingham<br>Burling<br>Ward<br>Cronin<br>Morrow<br>Trialist<br>Trialist<br>Lenhart<br>Trialist |