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Sammy Ochoa knew all along that an offensive breakthrough was coming – Not just for himself, but for his entire team.
Ochoa – Light’s FC’s forward who is known for both his ball-controlling abilities and his knack for scoring goals in bunches – scored three goals in three June matches for the club, as it went 2-1-0 in the month.
Before the page turns to a busy July on the road for the club, Lights FC (4-5-4, 16 points) first faces a key USL Western Conference match-up on Sunday at 2 p.m., when it travels east for the second of two meetings this season with perennial league power Swope Park Rangers (7-4-4, 25 points).
A relieved-yet-still-hungry Ochoa will again be a focal point as his team tries to find its footing away from Cashman Field.
“As a forward, you know you have to score – It’s your job,” Ochoa said. “Pressure does start setting in after a while. I’m here to score goals, not just to hold up the ball. You’ve got to be mentally strong and fight through that. When you score, that’s when you let everything out.”
Ochoa’s first goal of the month came on June 2 in a 4-1 home victory over Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, driving home a header off a feed from newly-acquired midfielder Raul Mendiola. Last Saturday, as Lights FC again claimed a 4-1 result on its home turf over Seattle Sounders 2, Ochoa became the tone-setter. Thanks to two aggressive hustle plays early in the match, he scored the club’s first two goals while mounting a 3-0 first half lead.
Through the first several matches of the season, Ochoa had enough near-misses on goal to drive any player who makes his living as a goal scorer insane.
But previous experience kept him level.
“Every season, I’ve been through a patch where I didn’t score,” Ochoa said. “Last year, it wasn’t just me, it was my entire team in Sacramento. All of the forwards went something like eight games without scoring, then all of the forwards started scoring. I don’t know if it’s just part of the game or just stuff that happens, but we have to stay confident. When you don’t, that’s when you struggle the most.”
That confidence was apparent on Saturday night, as Lights FC came into the match off of a frustrating offensive outing in a 4-0 loss at Phoenix Rising FC just 72 hours earlier.
One factor that has helped the offensive attack stay capable is the midseason influx of new pieces – Both those who have already taken the pitch, and those still to come.
At the beginning of the month, the club added skilled young midfielders Zach Mathers and Raul Mendiola. Both recorded assists in their club debuts in the June 2 victory over Colorado Springs, while Mathers scored the team’s fourth and final goal last Saturday against Sounders 2 – his former club.
Once July 10 hits, and the U.S. Soccer Federation’s Summer Transfer Window opens, the team will add two dangerous strikers in Omar Salgado and Daniel Guzmán Jr.
“What I see is they are quality players with a lot of experience,” Lights FC Head Coach Isidro Sánchez said. “The quality is showing on the training pitch, and they can all get the ball and finish plays. It’s important to show that in training first.”
It’s not just what’s physically showing in training that encourages Sánchez and the club’s coaching staff that the offensive surge in June can continue Sunday and beyond.
“It’s impossible to execute technical and tactical concepts if (the players) don’t have the desire,” Sánchez said. “(For example) it’s very clear that Sammy, being a scorer, the kind of goals he’s scored have come from him being a hard worker.
“It’s an example of him being a good leader for the team.”
