In a very similar start to last November when Lake Tahoe eliminated the Bear Cubs from post season, the Coyotes jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on defensive breakdowns from the home team. Half time couldn't come soon enough for Santa Rosa as it appeared that a major component of the Coyotes game plan was to disrupt the rhythm of the game by playing physical. (At the game's final whistle Lake Tahoe had accumulated 22 fouls, and 3 yellow cards to the Bear Cubs 12 and 1 respectively)
The halftime adjustments from Coach Marty Kinahan showed almost immediately with the majority of scoring chances starting to fall for the Bear Cubs. With momentum swinging towards Santa Rosa, sophomore Chris Ochoa pulled the game back to 2-1 on and assist from Sam Richter in the 71st minute. Taking advantage of that momentum, Co-Captain Ochoa leveled the score just 8 minutes later at 2-2 to set up a dramatic final 11 minutes of the match. With the game approaching the final whistle, and a 2-2 tie seeming it would be the final result, the co-captain combination of Wilson Briggs and Ochoa found freshman Kevin Ontiveres who slotted home his first collegiate goal in the 90th minute to snatch the victory from the jaws of a tie. With the win the Bear Cubs have won four straight but continue to strive to improve and find the right combination of players. After the match Coach Kinahan commented: "I was very happy with the way we responded after getting completely outplayed in the first half. Now we need to find a way to put a complete game together."
The Bear Cub's (4-0-1) return home on Tuesday September 13th when they host another Northern California team in San Francisco City College. Kick-Off is slated for 4pm.