The Moorpark College Raiders decimated the Compton Tartars defense in a 2-0 shutout that brought them to their second win of the season.

The first half saw the Raiders control the pace and have multiple scoring opportunities that were either just off the mark or saved by the Compton goalie. With all of the chances that the Raiders had gotten in the first half, the question was not if, but when, the Raiders were going to score.

The teams went into halftime tied 0-0, but the momentum was on the Raiders’ side as they had controlled the possession of the ball throughout the game and had a multitude of great plays that just fell short.

The Raiders took little time to capitalize on a scoring opportunity in the second half. In the 55th-minute, freshman forward Jared Fuller used sharp movements to split defenders and scored his first collegiate goal.

“Tactically wise we stuck to our game plan of getting in behind and it just happened to work out,” said Fuller. “We could work on our first touch, that is something that has still been super sloppy for us getting into this season, so just stuff like that and also finding the right pass and getting the ball off quicker.”

For the next 25 minutes of the match, the Raiders controlled the ball and kept constant pressure on the Tartars defense. Midfielder Marcel Kamberian was active in the passing lanes and was great when he had possession of the ball.

In the 80th-minute, Kamberian broke the defense down from the right side of the field and sent a volley pass towards the penalty box to Raiders’ midfielder Johnny Morales. The volley was perfectly placed and reached morales in stride. The Tartars attempted to steal the ball from Morales but dragged him down which led to a penalty kick for the Raiders.

“With a penalty kick you always have to keep cool,” said Morales. “All that I had in my head was to stay calm and to stick to one side. That’s what I did, and we ended up getting the goal and bringing our team up 2-0. I just pick a side, I fake him out and pretend that I am going one way and then slide it by him.”

Defensively, the Raiders were aggressive and strong as they did not allow many attempted shots. Raiders’ goalie Jordan Ramirez saved three shots and was a vocal leader throughout the match.

The Raiders were clicking on all cylinders and took a commanding 2-0 win over the Compton Tartars. After the game coach Jake Gwin spoke about the win and how the team approaches each game.

“Our formula is pretty simple: don’t give up goals and we are going to be in any game whether we get some goals in the run of play or dead ball situations,” stated Gwin. “Elicit a ton of hard work and a ton of commitment and be able to make the adjustments to what the other team can bring at us.”