A moment of 90th minute magic by defender Neveal Hackshaw enabled the Oakland Roots to escape with a 2-2 draw with Monterey Bay FC at Pioneer Stadium on Saturday night.
A long throw-in by Anuar Peláez bounced off of a Monterey defender’s chest and fell to Hackshaw, whose side volley from out of mid-air crossed the goal line, bounced off the inside of the right post, and made its way to the opposite post, as goalkeeper Carlos Herrera could only glance back in frustration.
Roots Give Up Another Early First Half Goal
At first, the match looked like a carbon copy of last week’s home loss to FC Tulsa. The visitors scored in the third minute of the match, as Oakland’s defenders struggled in transition.
On a goal kick, Monterey booted the ball from their own penalty area to midfield, where it was headed on to Sam Gleadle. Oakland defenders Hackshaw and Emrah Klimenta converged on Gleadle, so he passed the ball into the path of Alex Dixon for the clinical finish.
Gleadle came close to scoring again in the 9th minute on a shot from beyond the penalty area that required a diving save from Oakland goalkeeper Paul Blanchette.
Oakland had a difficult time generating scoring opportunities in the first half, though Memo Diaz did take a shot from beyond the penalty area in the 27th minute and Peláez’s shot attempt in the 31st minute sailed wide.
After more than 210 scoreless minutes, the Roots equalized just before halftime. A pass from Bryan Tamacas found Danny Barbir perched inside the six-yard box. Barbir trapped the ball with his foot, waited for Herrera to commit himself, then guided the ball into the net.
After the match, Head Coach Noah Delgado praised Barbir’s contributions to the club.
“He’s just solid,” Delgado said. “Solid performance all season. He got forward, got an attack and great composure to finish that goal. He’s getting confidence; he’s growing into himself as a player and he’s demanding players be professional everyday in training, so we’re very happy with him.”
Second Half Deja Vu
But the Roots fell behind again in 64th minute. A long ball from Monterey’s half found Hackshaw attempting to mark Sean Okoli, with Klimenta nearby. Hackshaw stumbled and Okoli won the ball; his low, hard shot tucked just inside the far post.
Once again, the Roots struggled to create chances, though substitute Jeciel Cedeño did have a volley from long distance in the 78th minute that was easily saved by Herrera.
But Hackshaw had the final word with his first goal of the season, a goal that may also be crucial to Oakland’s playoff hopes. Oakland and Monterey are currently tied for seventh place in the Western Conference, and the draw assures that Oakland now holds the tiebreaker.
Coach’s Quotes
“We gave away some goals tonight that we definitely could have defended much, much better,” Delgado said. “It’s tough when it’s just little errors and some minutes early in the game; we’ve been preaching about getting quick starts. So it’s disappointing in that matter. But, you know, [we showed] the character to come back, to get a late goal, get the draw.”
Delgado said that Monterey Bay is a difficult opponent to break down.
“We had to come to the ball. We had to move,” Delgado said. “Defense is the key. When we were going to be attacking is when they’re most dangerous. I thought we dealt with it good, but we had a couple times where we were just okay.”
Saldano’s Second Appearance
Nineteen-year-old Luis Saldana made his second appearance for the Roots when he came on as a substitute in the 86th minute. Delgado described him as “hard working, a good forward with a great nose for the ball.”
The Home Stretch
Delgado said to expect some lineup changes for the final four matches of their regular season, featuring three opponents who are likely playoff teams and a fourth that is only one point behind the Roots in the table.
“I just need to be very clear on what we’re looking for from them and clear on what our game plan is and finding out which roles going to be important for us in certain games,” Delgado said. “It could be different players that I think will give more against the opponents, either defensively or attacking or transition. So, it just like it’s a game-by-game microscope thing where we’re looking at each little detail.”
