Men's soccer team battles, but falls in first round at Fullerton

Men's soccer team battles, but falls in first round at Fullerton

Irvine Valley's men's soccer team saw its season end in the opening round of the CCCAA So. Cal. Regionals on Saturday afternoon at Orange Empire Conference rival Fullerton.

The Lasers, who made their way into the postseason by winning their final four matches of the regular season, gave Fullerton all it could handle before losing, 1-0, late.

Irvine Valley ended the year with a record of 8-10-3 overall.

Fullerton, which won the Orange Empire Conference title and was seeded third in the regional playoffs, improved to 17-2-2 overall.

The game was a defensive battle as both teams fought it out trying to gain the upper hand.

Fullerton's Michael Calderon scored the game's lone goal in the 68th minute on an assist by Bronny Toledo.

From there, the Hornet defense shut the Lasers out to hold on for the win.

Hornet goalie Kevan Rhemani had eight saves and helped lock down the team's 10th shutout win on the season.

Irvine Valley freshman keeper Nathan King finished with seven saves in the contest.

Fullerton moves on to face No. 6 Golden West in the second round next Tuesday at 2 p.m.