With an early Brigade goal in the first half, the Ventura County Fusion answered back with two of their own prior to halftime, which was good enough to hold on to a 2-1 victory at Bakersfield Christian High School.

Starting in his first game, Brigade Forward Moses “Moy” Gomez recorded his first goal of the season and scored in the 18th minute of play to give the Brigade a 1-0 lead. The goal was set up by a great throw-in from Brigade Captain Jason Ashurst who catapulted the ball near the center of the 18 yard box where Brigade Midfielder Mohammad Mashriqi was set up. Mohammad was unable to take the shot but was able to flick to Moy who was in a great position to finish the ball. “It feels great to be back with the Brigade for another season and to have Mohammad on my side to feed me great opportunities,” stated Moy Gomez.

The Brigade lead didn’t last too long as the Fusion answered back nineteen minutes later with a goal of their own to make the game one-up. Fusion Midfielder Alfonzo Montagalvan scored the first Fusion Goal and Fusion Forward Nicolas Perera was awarded the assist. Nine minutes later, Fusion power Forward Mark Draycott scored the Fusion’s second and final goal of the contest. Draycott is tied for third in points in the PDL league.

The Brigade fought back in the second half by bringing in four subs. The Brigade applied a considerable amount of pressure and repeatedly attacked the Fusion Defense but they were unsuccessful in finding the back of the net. “It was a very frustrating game to watch because we didn’t play our game,” stated Brigade Head Coach Francisco Gomez. “We certainly had our opportunities to win this game by a margin, we just didn’t press enough in the first half,” added Gomez 

Even with the loss, the Brigade is still holding the top spot for Lamar Open Cup qualifying. With wins against the San Jose Frogs on May 26 and San Francisco Seals on the 28th, their chances of moving into the tournament are real good.

Next, the Brigade will travel to Lancaster on Friday May 18th to battle against the Lancaster Rattlers, game time is 7:30pm. For more information please visit: http://www.bakersfieldbrigade.com or call 410-KICK