Kwizera’s PK gives Vaqueros second straight shutout, 1-0

Kevin Kwizera scored a penalty kick in the 31st minute, lifting SBCC to a 1-0 men's soccer upset of No. 5 Taft on a windy Tuesday at La Playa Stadium.

Kwizera, a speedy freshman forward from Santa Barbara, was knocked down in the box by a defender at the 29:38 mark. Thirty seconds later, he drilled a left-footed PK into the upper left for his second game-winning goal.

The Vaqueros (2-1) outshot the Cougars by a 9-5 count in the first 45 minutes. Then they played defense for most of the second half, holding Taft to four shots and taking two of their own.

Taft (2-1) is a strong program that won a State title in 2007 and reached the Final Four in 2014.

"I thought Kevin was going to score, then he gets brought down in the box and ends up scoring the game-winner," said 10th-year coach John Sisterson. "We knew they would come at us in the second half, so we set-up our defense and there's nothing wrong with being defensive when you're up 1-0.

"This was a tough game and we kept a clean sheet. That was a very good result."

Goalkeeper Shane Pitcock and the defense recorded its second straight shutout.

"I thought Teodoro (De Paula Slemenson) was outstanding on defense," added Sisterson. "And Jessie Jimenez had another good game."

William Joyce nearly scored 46 seconds into the match with a blazing header that was barely over the bar. Pitcock made a good save in the 89th minute and Kwizera had another solid chance in the 90th minute but his header went wide right.

The Vaqueros continue their four-game homestand on Friday when they host Cypress at 7 p.m.