The Oakland Roots earned their first victory for Interim Head Coach Gavin Glinton on Saturday night, thanks to one of the most memorable goals in the club’s six-year history.
Oakland secured a 2-1 win over Orange County SC in the 4th minute of stoppage time, seconds before the referee was ready to blow the final whistle.
When Orange County’s Kyle Scott cleared the ball and it bounced into the stands near midfield, it appeared that the game would end in a draw. But Justin Rasmussen rushed to the spot and threw the ball in to Jeciel Cedeño near midfield.
Cedeño sent a direct ball into the box that found Gagi Margvelashvili squeezed in between a pair of Orange County defenders. Gagi trapped the ball with his chest, let it take one bounce on the turf, and slipped it past goalkeeper Colin Shutler, as the home crowd erupted in a combination of joy and surprise.
The Roots’ offense had finally been rewarded for pressuring the Orange County defenders throughout the match, racking up a 19-5 advantage in shots (including a 5-2 edge in shots on target).
“You know, when it happened, it was almost unreal,” Glinton said after the match. “But you almost expected it the way the guys put in the energy and the focus tonight. So yeah, it’s great to get a first win like that. Hopefully there aren’t too many more gray hair inducing victories, but I’ll take them any way they come.”
A Rough Start for Oakland in the First Half
Shortly after the game began, Oakland’s chances of victory seemed to have been diminished when Johnny Rodriguez had to leave the match in the 8th minute due to a lower body injury. He was replaced by Miche-Naider Chéry.
“Obviously, that was a tough one, to see Johnny go down,” Glinton said. “I thought Miche came in and did an excellent job for us tonight. Holding up the ball, being dangerous, getting on the end of stuff, with his pressure, as well, from the defensive end. I’ve always said we’ve got a really, really deep group and it’s kind of the next man up, you know. There’s a lot of ways we can hurt teams. I don’t think we missed a beat.”
The visitors took the lead in the 21st minute, when Thomas Among scored on a header from close range. Among was able to gain a step on Oakland’s Niall Logue and Ryan Doghman’s cross was perfectly placed for the finish.
“I think we lost a mark in the service,” Glinton said. “I thought it was a hell of a ball, a hell of a movement and a hell of a header. Sometimes you have to tip your hat, you know. Ideally, we want to be a little bit closer there, but sometimes they’re just gonna play better.”
The home side quickly got back into the match by converting a penalty kick in the 31st minute, after Orange County’s Markus Nakkim shoved Oakland’s Trayvone Reid from behind. Orange County goalkeeper Colin Shutler got a hand on Reid’s kick, but it still slotted just inside the right post.
The Roots Assert Themselves in the Second Half
The second half was scoreless until Gagi’s game winner, but Oakland had the better chances.
In the 56th minute, Camden Riley was ready for Neveal Hackshaw’s cross at the far post. Riley, Shutler, and defender Ashton Miles ended up in the goal, but the ball went over the crossbar.
Shutler got into trouble in the 69th minute when he left his goal and stumbled as he tried to make a clearance. But defender Bryce Jamison was on the line and ready to deflect Cedeno’s shot away.
Chéry nearly won the match for Oakland in the 89th minute, but his shot was saved off the line by Miles. Hackshaw pounced on the rebound, but his shot sailed over the bar.
Upcoming Schedule
The Roots will now head on the road for matches against FC Tulsa and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks before returning to the Hayward on June 8 to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies.
