by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 22, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on October 20, 2009
Dan Lovi
Staff writer
The Moorpark College Raiders had a much-needed win, shutting out Citrus College 3-0 Tuesday afternoon.
The game was dominated by the Raiders’ defense, but not in traditional fashion. The Raiders’ defense was frugal, allowing only one shot on goal in the second half, but unconventionally, most of the offense belonged to the defense.
Captain Luis Gutierrez scored the first goal in the 41st minute heading in a line drive from teammate Jose Garcia, a fellow defender. The fluidity of the defense translated into a positive for the offense.
Head Coach Sean Roche was pleased with the versatility shown by his tested defense.
“Being a defender is about having experience,” said Roche. “There is a group of six that play pretty solid, three of them sophomores. They are experienced.”
Garcia, the man who got the assist on the first goal, scored on the Owls in familiar fashion, heading in a corner from teammate Gerardo Espinoza in the 77th minute.
Roche believed his team was able to play the entire field well, which contributed to opportunities to get shots on goal.
“They are continually applying headers,” said Roche about his defenders. “They play all areas of the field.”
Forward Josh Hibbert scored the other Raider goal on a breakaway in the 51st minute.
Victor Gonzalez started at keeper for the Raiders, ensuring a scoreless outing for the Owls.
The victory could not come at a better time for the Raiders, who ended a three-game losing streak.
Roche considered this game a moral victory for a Raider team that has struggled the past three games.
“The guys, [they] gain confidence back,” said Roche.
The Raiders improved to 6-5-1 on the year, including a 4-3 record in Western State Conference play with seven games remaining.
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 22, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on October 20, 2009
Michael Prieto
Staff writer
After four hard fought sets of volleyball, the Moorpark Raiders were able to pull out the victory in four sets (25-20, 24-26, 25-22, and 25-18) against the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros in a battle for Western State Conference supremacy.
The Raiders (13-1, 3-0 WSC) opened the match with the first score by freshman middle blocker Chelcy Westphal, but the first set proved to be a tough, grind-it-out game. The Vaqueros (12-2, 1-1 WSC) had a strong command of the first set early, holding leads of 7-6 and 13-11.
However, the Raiders would show some toughness and resiliency through their amped up defense and precise hitting, going on a 5-0 run to take a 16-13 lead. The Raiders never trailed after this point, and an ace by sophomore middle blocker Rachel Olinyk gave the Raiders the first set 25-20.
The Raiders had trouble executing on the offensive end in the second set, quickly trailing 4-1, but would claw their way back into the set to take a 6-5 lead.
Every time the Raiders would find a way to take the lead, however, the Vaqueros found a way to bounce back.
An all-out battle ensued with each team fighting for each score. Each play derived an emotional response that made the atmosphere electric. Each side out resulted in anger, and each score celebrated with joy.
Despite a hard-fought battle, the Vaqueros proved to be too much for the Raiders, taking the second set 26-24.
The third set proved to be the pivotal set that determined the outcome of the match. The Raiders responded well, jumping to a 5-1 lead, looking as though they had a strong response to the Vaqueros surge. This proved to be a false assumption, as the Vaqueros fought back, and the two one-loss teams battled to take that important third set.
The set would stay close until the Raiders took a commanding 24-22 lead, eventually taking the set 25-22 behind sophomore middle blocker Rachel Olinyk’s two scores and an ace.
The fourth set proved to be where the Raiders would take over offensively and finish off the Vaqueros. The Raiders took a 11-6 lead early in the match, only to see them squander it to the pesky Vaqueros. The Vaqueros had trimmed the lead to a mere two points, and forced the Raiders to continue to fight for each score.
The Raiders countered the Vaquero attack with a 6-2 scoring run down the stretch to take the fourth set 25-18, and the match.
This was a big test for the Raiders considering the Vaqueros were right behind the first-place Raiders in the WSC at second place.
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 22, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Photo by Tony Sintic
Published on October 20, 2009
Ara Ortiz
Assistant sports editor
The Oxnard College men’s soccer team had a hard pill to swallow, falling to College of the Canyons 4-2 on Tuesday.
Early in the first half, the Condors were controlling the game by maintaining possession and containing field position, not allowing the Cougars to go on the offensive, and preventing them from getting shots on goal.
As the game progressed, however, the Cougars were able to execute offensively and attack the Condor defense. The Cougars were able to score two goals over a five-minute span to take a 2-0 lead.
The Condors responded with a goal of their own from freshman midfielder Sam Nellis.
The Cougars had the same recipe for success in the second half, coming out with an aggressive mindset. The Condors responded with aggressive play on the defensive end.
After the Cougars scored on a long free kick, OC freshman midfielder Abel Pacheco scored a goal that landed in the back corner of the net, narrowing the margin to 3-2 in favor of the Cougars.
The Condors had some opportunities to tie the game up off some passes that set up shot attempts, but were unable to capitalize.
The Condors paid the price for their missed opportunities, giving up their fourth goal of the game, preventing them from sparking a comeback.
Nellis, who scored one of Oxnard’s two goals, was still upbeat about his team’s play despite the loss.
“We kept possession and passed it well,” he said. “We just need to finish the chances we create.”
Although the Condors lost, Nellis remains confident that they will only get better.
“We’ll get it right next time,” he said. “We just need to keep passing it and we’ll have it with our potential.”
Sophomore forward Nate Lytle added that not being able to capitalize on the offensive end contributed to the team’s loss today.
“[We need to] finish the chances we had and we had around 12.”
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 20, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Photo by Zack Poisal
Published on October 17, 2009
Zack Poisal
Staff writer
The Ventura College Pirates men’s basketball team is on a mission to bring back a lost tradition one step at a time.
Starting with the hiring of new Assistant Head Coach Joey Ramirez, the Pirates put the icing on the cake of change by bringing back the exciting midnight madness practice seems to have VC on the right track.
Ventura’s midnight practice was the second official practice for VC and the first time the public was able to see the team.
The madness showcased five, five-minute inter-squad scrimmages, a jaw dropping dunk competition, and was topped off with a lights-out three-point competition.
The inter-squad scrimmage featured numerous fast-break points by Hawaii native Jon Keen, dripping-wet three pointers by Ventura High School graduate Paul Batausa and defensive hustle plays from every single player on the court. The dunk competition featured Jon Keen, Jeremiah Slowik, Jordan Harris and Troy Watson. Watson beat out his competitors, taking the slam dunk crown.
Moises Barrera gave his teammate Seth Bradish a large lead after the first minute, draining 16 three-pointers in his minute of action. Barrera and Bradish would eventually be named three-point champions, outlasting Paul Batausa and Pierce Brooks 20-16.
Jordan Harris is one of the four returning players this year which include: Jeremiah Slowik, Justin Jimenez, and after his one year hiatus Troy Watson comes back to play for the Pirates.
Harris has been granted a leadership role this year for a squad dominated by freshman.
“It feels a little different,” Harris said. “Last year we had a lot more sophomores, and leaders.”
Even though there is a lack of sophomores on the team this year, Harris still expects the team to be competitive, and wants to play hard every game.
“I expect to win, win a lot of games, play hard and be a top competitor,” Harris said.
Although Ventura features many new faces with their new talented freshmen class, there are players that have grown up watching the Pirates every year.
Freshman Nolan Smith grew up watching the Pirates play, as well as having family play for them, including his father Don Smith and brother, Hylas Smith.
Smith is looking forward to a successful season, noticing that every single player and coach is working hard to make the program successful.
“We are coming together pretty well, the comradely is getting there, the chemistry is getting there,” Smith commented. “The coach staff is working hard, so I think are going to be pretty successful.”
“We play hard” is Ventura’s motto; it is posted all over the gym, and it is the motto Head Coach Will Cowen believes his team should play by.
“Play hard every night,” Cowen said. “Compete for a conference championship.”
Ventura College starts their journey for a championship Nov. 7, when they anticipate a large home crowd to cheer them on against Citrus College. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 17, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on October 13, 2009
Ara Ortiz
Assistant sports editor
The Oxnard College women’s soccer team lost a tough one at home to Santa Barbara City College 2-0, continuing to struggle to find ways to score.
In the first half, the Condors were out-hustled by the Santa Barbara City College Vaqueros moving the ball effectively and creating an up-tempo pace.
The Condors were out of sync on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively, committing bad passes, one even resulting in a goal.
The second half was certainly a different story. The Condors came out strong defensively, keeping the Vaqueros out of the goalie’s area. The Condors’ goalies stopped a few of the Vaqueros’ shots on goals, only allowing one shot to hit the back of the net.
Though showing a strong defense in the second half, the Condors kept losing possession of the ball and failed to produce offensively.
“It’s our best game so far,” said first-year coach Dario Pot about his team’s performance. “We stuck to our plan and created [a] few opportunities.”
The Condors had opportunities throughout the game to score, but were unable to find the net.
Pot hopes to bounce back from the loss by having his team work on a specific area during practice.
“We are gonna work on finishing, finishing our goals,” said Pot.
Oxnard has lost its past three games. The Condors have a bye week before they take on Moorpark on the road next Friday, Oct. 24 at 4 p.m.
by Timothy Weisberg | Oct 17, 2009 | Student Voice Edited Stories-Fall 2009
Published on October 13, 2009
Michael Prieto
Staff writer
A tough battle was fought between two determined teams, but the Moorpark Raiders were able to pull away and sweep the Ventura College Pirates (25-17, 25-16, and 25-19).
The first set began about as bad as the Raiders (11-1, 4-0 WSC) could have hoped, as the Pirates (5-7, 3-3 WSC) jumped out to a 4-0 lead. The Pirates played energetically to begin the set and were swarming to the ball on defense.
The Pirates were able to get ahead of a Raiders team that was clearly struggling defensively. The Raiders were able to bounce back, however, making adjustments defensively to take an 8-7 lead. The Pirates would not give up though and continued to fight, retaking the lead 16-15.
The Raiders were not rattled by their early struggles, and would pull away behind three straight aces by sophomore middle blocker Rachel Olinyk.
The second set saw the Raiders take advantage of their size on the front row. Their size advantage allowed them to take a 6-2 lead early and they would never surrender it. The Raiders would cruise to a 25-16 victory in the second set.
Down 0-2, the Pirates began had a sense of urgency. However, the Pirates started out the third set down 4-1, with the match looking even bleaker than before.
With the offs against them, the Pirates fought hard. The Pirates would be within one point or tied for most of the third set. Despite a strong sense of urgency, the overpowering size up front proved to be too much for the Pirates.
Freshman outside hitter Kasey Ullery scored four of the last six points in the game, ending all hopes for any Pirate comeback.
Despite the sweep, head coach Steve Burkhart believed the Raiders were not at their best offensively, and could have played better.
“[We were] not as clean as we should have been [offensively],” he said.
Burkhart did add, however, how pleased he was with his team’s defensive performance.
“We played pretty good defense,” Burkhart said.
At 11-1 (4-0 WSC), the Raiders have the best record in the Western State Conference
