Delentz Pierre’s second minute blast from well beyond the penalty arc was all Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC needed to record a 1-0 win over the visiting Oakland Roots on Saturday evening.
Zach Zandi grabbed a loose ball and dished it off to Pierre, whose perfectly placed shot left Roots goalkeeper Paul Blanchette nothing to do but look on in frustration.
Both teams had entered the match on a high note, with Colorado Springs having earned wins in their previous four matches and Oakland having won their last two for their first winning streak of the season.
But after the Pierre’s goal both sides struggled offensively, only able to record two shots on goal apiece.
The Switchbacks’ next opportunity came in the fifth minute, when Ronaldo Damus’s header from the edge of the six-yard box went straight into Blanchette’s arms.
A key moment in the match came in the 11th minute, when the referee whistled the Switchbacks’ Yosuke Hanya for a hand ball. However, the penalty was waved off a few minutes later, after a review by the assistant referee.
Oakland had a few chances in the first half. Bryan Tamacas’s shot from the right side of the box in the 37th minute was on target, but goalkeeper Christian Herrera got a hand on it to tip it over the bar.
Trayvone Reid also had several chances. The best came in the 42nd minute, another shot from long distance that bounced emphatically off the crossbar.
There were few chances for either side in the second half. Oakland’s Baboucarr Njie came closest, when his free kick from distance in the 73rd minute was met with Herrera’s best save of the night, a leaping stop to deflect the ball over the bar and out of danger.
Oakland Roots return home to Pioneer Stadium next Saturday, June 8th for a double header. The Roots take on Tampa Bay Rowdies at 7 PM after the Soul play Academica SC at 4 PM.
