Friday afternoon’s game between visiting Cañada College and Skyline could very well have been the game that changed the season for either of these struggling teams.

Going into this match, Cañada had just defeated the defending Coast champion, De Anza College, and looked to carry that momentum into San Bruno against their district rival. The Cañada Colts ranked fourth in their division (just above winless Monterey Peninsula) going into the match and were seeking their third win of 2011.

This year’s Trojan team has also had its share of frustration and disappointment with a record of 1-6-2 thus far this season. Coming off a crushing 2-0 defeat to the Rams of City College of San Francisco, the Trojan soccer team looked to bounce back against Cañada. In the loss against San Francisco, Skyline’s energy and effort made the opposing coaching staff rethink their game plan and forced them to re-strategize in order to put Skyline away.

According to the players and coaches alike, the loss was due more to the season-long battle against game officials. “Honestly, we were robbed. That game wasn’t decided by the play on the field,” said Head Coach Daniel Link regarding the game at San Francisco.

Skyline appeared ready and determined to build on the last game’s performance, as first year midfielder Esteban Morales motivated his teammates during pre-game warmups, telling them, “Think about San Francisco! This one is ours!”

The game began with both teams aggressively attacking each other and locking each other down on defense. This match had all the makings of a tight contest. However, after a call against the Trojans, Skyline players found themselves disoriented.

Cañada was first to score, with a corner-kick leaving 40 minutes in the first half. Skyline’s defense was evidently shaken up, as they were unable to re-cover in time before Cañada’s second goal went in just two minutes later.

Skyline’s strategy slowly began to take shape as they built upon their momentum and tightened up their offense. The urgency picked up but was once again disrupted by a handball call on Cañada, which was immediately retracted and gave Cañada possession that eventually resulted in their third goal with 15 minutes left to play. The Trojans fell 3-0 with 30 minutes still left in the first half.

At this point in the game, Skyline had ground to make up and appeared more organized in their quest to cut into the deficit. In an impressive drive beginning on Skyline’s end of the field, Trojan forward Michael McNab split through a series of Cañada’s defenders and cut the Colts’ lead to two goals after scoring Skyline’s first. It would be the only Trojan goal for the rest of the match.

In the closing moments of the first half, an offsides call on Skyline disrupted a second drive toward the net, and a Skyline foul put Cañada in scoring position, where they took advantage going into halftime leading 4-1.

Coach Link began the second half with a new lineup, which slowed down Cañada’s attack, but an aggressive play by a Cañada midfielder injured Skyline’s Diego Sanchez. Although he was able to continue, frustration would ultimately factor into the progression of the match. Cañada went on to score two more times and defeated the Trojans with a final score of 6-1.

“It’s very difficult when there’s no consistency,” Coach Link said after the game in reference to the officiating during the match.

Trojan goalkeeper Luis De Paz added, “We just lost our heads. Certain no-calls are tough to get through, especially when you’re down.”

Skyline currently ranks third in the Coast Conference’s Central Division. They will prepare for Tuesday’s game as they host Gavilan College on Oct. 11 at 3 p.m.