Rangers Show Potential in Preseason Opener

Jan. 13, 2012 - PRLog -- FULLERTON, CA


The Fullerton Rangers opened their preseason schedule on Monday, January 9th, with a 2-0 loss against league rival FC Hasental at Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. This was the first match for the Rangers, as they look to finalize the roster and establish a starting eleven before the National Premier Soccer League begins regular season play.
The Rangers began the game strong as they dominated the first 15 minutes of play. It seemed as if the Rangers would open the scoring as they maintained possession and kept FC Hasental within their defensive third. However, as the game progressed Fullerton began to show signs of fatigue and a lack of cohesiveness, as most teams do when playing together for the first time.  
FC Hasental opened the scoring in the 23rd minute as a forward found himself open just inside the 18-yard box and curled a shot around the outstretched arms of goalkeeper Jhovanny Hernandez. Despite going behind a goal, Fullerton kept attacking and nearly found the net in the 38th minute when defender Ezequiel Estrada managed to head a corner kick at goal, but the FC Hasental goalkeeper was equal to the task and kept the shut out going into halftime.
The second half went much like the first as the Rangers kept having scoring opportunities but were unable to convert. FC Hasental took advantage of Fullerton’s missed opportunities and capitalized with a goal in the 55th minute. Fullerton had their best chance to score in the 68th minute as midfield duo of Julio Madrigal and Jesse Preciado combined at the top of the box and sent Preciado in on goal but was unable to score as the FC Hasental goalkeeper came up huge as he managed to push Preciado’s shot wide of the post. FC Hasental was able to kill off the clock as the Rangers struggled to keep up with the pace of the game.
Team CEO, Alberto Ochoa had this to say about the teams’ performance in the preseason opener, “Physically we were not there today. We know we can compete at this level; it is just a matter of getting the guys into shape and having them get together as a unit. It takes time for players to get used to each other, but based on what we saw today we know we will be a team that will be difficult to beat once the season begins.” The Fullerton Rangers continue their preseason on Thursday, January 12th with a game against the San Diego Flash at Cal State Fullerton. Kickoff is scheduled to take place at 3:45 PM with the LA Vikings to take on the Mexican Women’s National Team at 7:00 PM.