Falcons ride second-half offensive surge to 3-1 win over Santa Rosa
Having lost to Santa Rosa nearly a month ago – the Falcons' only Big 8 loss so far in 2017 – the FLC men knew Tuesday afternoon's rematch with the Bear Cubs at Falcon Stadium would be a battle. The match opened with the Falcons controlling the ball and the tempo, but they were unable to convert any of their several shots on goal. In the 18th minute, an inadvertent foul in the box gave Santa Rosa a penalty kick, which they converted into the game's first goal and a 1-0 lead. The Bear Cubs held that lead until well into the second half, when the Falcon offensive attack finally woke up. In a matter of 12 minutes, the Falcons scored three goals to seize control of the match. Freshman Chase Gray started the onslaught with a header on a beautiful pass from Erik Mattice in the 72nd minute. Eight minutes later, Gray again scored with a header, this time after a shot by Marco Aguilar rebounded in front of the goal, to put the Falcons ahead 2-1. With their confidence growing and the Bear Cubs reeling, the Falcons' attack intensified. Luis Aguilar sealed the victory in the 84th minute when he beat his defender and notched his team-leading 7th goal of the season with a hard shot past the Bear Cub keeper. The Falcons improved their Big 8 record to 5-1-1 and remain atop the Big 8 standings with Cosumnes River lurking just three points behind. The Falcons will host Modesto on Friday afternoon at 3:00 pm, their final regular-season home match of 2017.