SUFC Team News #10 – Lake Forest, CA
By Dan Minkoff
Shoreline United FC’s quest for its first win in UPSL Premier continues after a foul-plagued 4-1 defeat to Santa Ana Winds on Saturday night at Lake Forest Sports Park. Shoreline dropped to 0-3 in in the SoCal North division and has scored just two goals.
In an effort to find more offense, Shoreline United played with a 4-4-2 midfield diamond formation. This change from their normal 4-3-3 aimed to provide more attacking options and better control in the midfield. Despite the change, the team found it difficult to break through Santa Ana’s defense consistently. Santa Ana took the lead in the 26th minute and seemed faster to every ball for much of the first half. Shoreline United slowly grew into the game with striker Aaron Minkoff generating a couple of half chances before drawing a foul in the penalty area right at the end of the first half. Jhoel Sarraude stepped up to take the ensuing penalty kick and calmly converted it, tying the game 1-1 right before the break.
A Game of Fouls
Unfortunately for Shoreline United, Santa Ana regained the lead just a minute and a half into the second half. This early goal set the tone for the remainder of the match, as Shoreline United struggled to regain their composure and mount a comeback.
The match was notably chippy, with Santa Ana committing 14 fouls and Shoreline United being whistled for nine. The physical nature of the game disrupted the flow and made it challenging for Shoreline to establish a rhythm. In fact, the center referee ended a promising counterattack for Shoreline when he injured his knee and stopped play. He was replaced by the fourth official.
Assistant coach Jaime Corpus expressed his frustration after the game, highlighting the mental lapses that plagued the team.
“That’s probably the word—frustrating,” Corpus said. “We lost the mental game. We fell into their tricks, the little antics they were doing. We’re not saying anything about the refs, other than the ref sub, which is kind of notable, but it hurt us stopping on a counterattack. Our final third is where we’re still struggling. We tried a different solution today, and now it’s back to the drawing board.”
The game remained close until Santa Ana sealed the win with a goal in the final minute of normal time and then added one more in the third minute of added time.
Corpus noted the challenges of having Minkoff, a center defender, playing up front.
“We thought it would help Jhoel having another nine up top. He worked his ass off, but we lose too much [by] having by not having him at the back. Just the leadership alone, but his physical presence, too. But we mentally lost our game today, ourselves. We beat ourselves today.”
Looking Ahead
The journey may be challenging, but the resolve to improve, overcome and represent Long Beach remains strong. The team will need to regroup, address their mental game, and find a way to turn their efforts into victories. Shoreline United will be back home to face Inland Empire FC at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday at the LBCC soccer fields and then will face Ocelot Academy, based in San Bernardino, on the road the following weekend (time and location still TBD). It still pays get your ShorePass, which remains a great value for the remaining four home games.
Vamos Shoreline! #ForTheLBC
