Napa Valley College men's soccer, Contra Costa tie, 2-2, in Bay Valley Conference match
First photo: The starters for the Napa Valley College men's soccer team going into its Bay Valley Conference match on Tuesday at home against Contra Costa College-San Pablo.
Next 4 photos: The Napa Valley College men's soccer team continued its Bay Valley Conference season on Tuesday at home with a match against Contra Costa College-San Pablo.
Photos by Marty James
MARTY JAMES
martyjames.sports@gmail.com
Rogelio Ochoa, Napa Valley College's head men's soccer coach, was talking about the extreme difficulty of an early-season schedule before the Storm's Bay Valley Conference match at home on Tuesday against Contra Costa College-San Pablo.
"(Contra Costa's) coming in really good. The last three games they haven't lost. They come in with really high energy. We have to make sure that we match their energy and that we come in the right way and we play correctly, the way we want, to give ourselves good opportunities to score," said Ochoa.
The scoring was there for Napa Valley, which was ahead early in the first half and also in the lead in the second half.
The Storm got a goal from Adrian Ceja, a midfielder, in the first minute.
The Storm's other goal came from Jose Ramirez, a forward, in the 65th minute of the second half.
Contra Costa came from behind each time and the teams tied, 2-2, on a sunny afternoon with temperatures in the mid-80s and breezy conditions.
Contra Costa was behind 1-0 and 2-1 in the match.
"It's not the outcome we were looking for. We were looking, obviously, to win," said Ochoa. "I thought we did enough. We had plenty of chances. We had chances at the end. (Contra Costa) had one or two as well.
"I think it's just staying composed in the last third. When you have those big moments, opportunities, we've got to stay composed. We just made the wrong decision, or hit it wrong. So, again, I think we've just got to continue playing, doing the right things. And I think doing that will help us get our first win."
It was the fourth tie game of the season for Napa Valley (1-5-4 overall, 0-1-1 Bay Valley Conference). The Storm's only win of the season came on Sept. 9, when they beat College of the Redwoods-Eureka, 3-1, in a nonconference match.
Napa Valley is in fifth place in the conference standings.
"We've got to go back and try to work in the last third, to make sure we're comfortable in the last third and just make sure that we can stay composed in front of the goal and make the right decision," said Ochoa.
"We could have been up 3-0 in the first five minutes. There's just that lack of composure in the last third.
"I think we started off the first five minutes extremely well, and then we let them get into the game."
Napa Valley has 12 goals in 10 games. Ramirez, a freshman, has accounted for a team-leading three goals.
"He's a special player. What he can do with the ball, you don't see that very often," said Ochoa. "It's nice to have him. When he's on the field, he's always a dangerous player."
Ceja, a freshman, scored the Storm's first goal off a corner kick. The assist went to Ramirez.
Ramirez's goal came off a penalty kick. Contra Costa's goalkeeper, Isaias Mendoza, made an initial deflection, but Ramirez followed up on the shot and converted the goal from close range.
"He followed the play, and he was able to put it away. The first one to the ball," said Ochoa.
Mendoza was solid for Contra Costa (2-7-3 overall, 1-0-2 Bay Valley Conference), making five saves.
"His presence, his energy, is good," Contra Costa coach Julio Ayala said of Mendoza. "Just some missed opportunities and some mistakes that we made. But we just keep working."
Cadel Newton-Knotch played very well at goalkeeper for Napa Valley, making 12 saves in the first half alone. Newton-Knotch had 14 total saves.
Napa Valley was coming off a 2-1 loss to College of Marin-Kentfield in the Bay Valley opener on Oct. 3.
"Against College of Marin, we didn't play to our standards, to our expectations," said Ochoa. "Once we saw ourselves down, we stepped up and we played to our expectations and we created lots of chances the last 15 minutes, but unfortunately nothing went in for us to tie.
"I think it's a big learning curve for especially the first years. You've got to bring your 'A' game. We've got to make sure that we learn from it.
"There's moments against College of Marin, where, because we want to win so badly, or tie, that players try to do things on their own instead of sticking to what's been working."
A major point of emphasis, said Ochoa, is staying composed.
Sergio Hernandez, a freshman forward, returned for the Storm after missing six games due to injury.
"It was nice to have him back. You can see his presence in there," said Ochoa.
Khriz Alvarenga scored Contra Costa's first goal, off an assist from David Martinez, in the first half. The goal tied the match, 1-1, at halftime.
Mason Bocanegra's goal for Contra Costa on a breakaway tied the match, 2-2, in the second half. The assist went to Alvarenga.
"Not the result we wanted," said Ayala. "We're aiming to win every game, but we'll take the tie on the road against a very strong Napa team. Historically, (Napa Valley's) always good at home. We just keep building off of that.
"A very back and forth game. We did enough to squeeze in a tie and we kept attacking. It just wasn't enough today. So, we just keep our heads up. We'll take it and prepare for the next team."
Napa Valley's other tie games have been against City College of San Francisco (1-1), Foothill College-Los Altos Hills (3-3) and Ohlone College-Fremont (0-0).
NVC continues its season on Oct. 14 at home against Yuba College-Marysville at 4 p.m.
* Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019 after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016, the Vintage High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Napa High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.