Ontario boys soccer look to turn corner after 0-2 league start

Friday’s 1-0 loss to the Chaffey Tigers prolonged what has been a rough Mt. Baldy league start for the Jags.

A lone strike in the final minutes of the first half from Chaffey’s Andres Garcia was enough to give the Tigers the victory. Garcia capitalized on a bad Ontario clearance as he intercepted the ball inside the box and put it past Jag keeper Jesus Alpizar.

Ontario had plenty of chances to tie in the second half, but were unable to score.

“We had our chances and just could not put it away today,” commented Coach Harry Cruz. “The biggest thing is just being positive with each other and not pointing fingers… But just making sure we look forward to the games that we know we need to win.”

The Jags are on a five-game losing streak, the largest slump for the program in years. The slump is due in part to injuries in the midfield. Among the injured is senior Edgar Vargas, the “number 10” of the squad.

Vargas was the team’s leading scorer with seven goals before fracturing his collarbone last month in a preseason match vs. Azusa.

“He [Vargas] is definitely a big help, in the midfield, that we are missing right now… [He] gets the guys going,” says the second-year head coach. “It’s unfortunate that he’s down right now.”

Cruz confides that his team has what it takes to turn the season around.

“We have the tools to do it, it’s just been unlucky for us the last couple of days. As soon we get one in [a victory], I’m sure the rest are just going to fall.”