By orangecountysoccer.com Staff,

Irvine, Calif. (May 6, 2017) Orange County SC opened up their brand new 5,000 seater stadium at the Orange County Great Park with a comprehensive 4-0 win over arch rivals LA Galaxy II in the I-405 derby.

After four fixtures on the road Orange County SC debuted their new facility for the first time this season, in front of 4,123 expectant fans. Orange County spurred on by the crowd got off to a flying start and created two clear chances in the opening moments, first Duke Lacroix found space inside the Los Dos area following a cut back from Jerry Van Ewijk, however his shot ricocheted off the foot of the post. Then it was Van Ewijk to go close after he cut inside from the left into the penalty box to fire a shot on goal only to see the ball well blocked six yards out.

It wasn’t long until Orange County scored their first goal in their new venue, when in the 27th minute, Orange County were awarded a penalty after Ryo Fujii was adjudged to have handled in the box. It was Van Ewijk who stepped up to slot the ball home from the spot and score the first ever goal at the Orange County Great Park. Orange County doubled their lead 3 minutes later when Eric Lopez in the Galaxy goal decided to challenge for a ball 30 yards from goal, only to head straight to the feet of Van Ewijk who expertly chipped the keeper from distance to give Orange County a 2-0 lead.

In an action packed 8 minutes, Orange County had their third when on the 34th minute, Alex Suarez turned the ball into the back of his own goal following a dangerous cross from Gustavo Villalobos. On the stroke of half time Orange County could have had a fourth and Van Ewijk his hat-trick. Following good work from Villalobos down the right side, his cross was nodded down to the dangerous Van Ewijk who fired a left footed strike at goal 12 yards out, only to see his shot acrobatically tipped over the bar by Lopez.

The second half started much like the first, with Orange County in full control. And an hour into the second period, Orange County had their fourth of the afternoon, this time through Wuilito Fernandes. Van Ewijk picked up a flicked header from Carlos Alvarez and threaded a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Fernandes who calmly rounded the onrushing Lopez in the Galaxy goal and fired into an empty net.

Orange County SC controlled the match from start to finish and prevailed 4-0 winners in the first ever I-405 derby at the Orange County Great Park. Orange County SC Head Coach, Logan Pause was delighted with win “What a spectacular night, it feels great to be able to reward our fans and community with a convincing win to open up our stadium,” said Pause.

Orange County SC next face two trips to Oklahoma to take on the Tulsa Roughnecks and OKC Energy FC before returning to the Orange County Great Park on June 3rd to take on Real Monarchs RSL.

ABOUT ORANGE COUNTY SOCCER CLUB:

The Orange County Soccer Club is Orange County’s Professional Soccer Team. The club was one of 12 founding members of the new United Soccer League (USL) in its inaugural 2011 season. The predecessor club Orange County Blues were the 2015 Western Conference Regular Season Champions and have reached the Western Conference semifinals of the USL Playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The club’s brand-new owner, James Keston, is the Chief Investment Officer of LARO Properties, and will actively oversee all operations of the USL club in Orange County. Keston is dedicated to transforming the club into a world-class professional soccer organization that focuses on the fans, players, and youth clubs of Orange County.

For more information about Orange County Soccer Club and to purchase tickets, visit: http://www.orangecountysoccer.com.

Contact:

Kelly Salmieri: VP, Marketing & Community Relations, [email protected], 805.844.0856