North Las Vegas, NV – Cheyenne Sports Complex, September 14, 2024
In a tough conference matchup, the College of Southern Nevada men's soccer team fell 4-1 to Yavapai College in a game where the Coyotes showed flashes of resilience but couldn't overcome an early deficit. Despite a spirited second-half response, CSN was unable to recover from Yavapai's dominant start, with all four of the Roughriders' goals coming before the 77th minute.
Yavapai wasted no time asserting their control, netting their first goal at the 9:50 mark when Raphael Di Cecco finished off a pass from Anthony Khananisho. The Coyotes struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, unable to register a single shot before the break, while Yavapai poured on the pressure with 11 shots and three goals. Carlos Rodriguez made it 2-0 in the 20th minute, and Khananisho added his name to the score sheet with a goal in the 24th minute, assisted by David Murillo.
The second half saw a marked improvement from the Coyotes. With renewed energy, CSN began to press forward and create chances, earning three corner kicks and firing off eight shots. It was Francisco Duran-Andrade who gave the Coyotes a lifeline in the 48th minute, scoring his first goal of the season to cut the deficit to 3-1. The goal came from a well-executed counterattack, as Duran-Andrade pounced on a loose ball and slotted it past Yavapai's goalkeeper Maximiliano Ionita.
However, Yavapai was quick to regain control. Anthony Khananisho completed his brace in the 77th minute, finishing a through ball from Ian Lama to put the match out of reach for the Coyotes. CSN goalkeeper Anthony Pena made five crucial saves throughout the match to prevent further damage, but the early flurry of goals from Yavapai was too much to overcome.
Key contributors for the Coyotes included Sebastian Puentes, who was active on both ends of the field, and Alejandro Polanco, who registered one of CSN's three shots on goal. The Coyotes also saw solid defensive work from Carlos Galicia-Rivera and Sean Escamilla, though the early barrage of Yavapai attacks proved difficult to contain.
Key Stats:
- Francisco Duran-Andrade scored CSN's lone goal in the 48th minute.
- Anthony Pena recorded 5 saves, keeping the Coyotes within striking distance for much of the match.
- Yavapai College outshot CSN 15-8, with a strong first half where they registered 11 shots to CSN's 0.
- Both teams accumulated multiple fouls, with Yavapai tallying 25 fouls to CSN's 8. The match saw a total of six yellow cards, four going to Yavapai and two to CSN.
The Coyotes, now 1-4-0 on the season and 1-2-0 in conference play, will look to bounce back in their next match as they take on Snow College at home on September 20.
Scoring Summary:
- 9:50 – Yavapai: Raphael Di Cecco (Assist: Anthony Khananisho)
- 20:15 – Yavapai: Carlos Rodriguez
- 24:13 – Yavapai: Anthony Khananisho (Assist: David Murillo)
- 48:02 – CSN: Francisco Duran-Andrade
- 76:37 – Yavapai: Anthony Khananisho (Assist: Ian Lama)
