Switchbacks can't get right at home, drop fifth straight match

Jun. 2—Some things changed Friday night for the Colorado Springs Switchbacks just not the right things.

Instead of playing away, Colorado Springs was at home in front of a sellout crowd wielding blue lightsabers for "Galactic Night."

But the result on the pitch was the same, the Switchbacks allowed an early goal and couldn't find an equalizer for the remainder of the match as Oakland Roots SC walked out of Weidner Field with a 1-0 win.

The loss is the Switchbacks' fifth straight, dropping to 5-7-1. The Switchbacks are running out of answers for what is going on.

"Honestly, I don't know at this point," team captain Matt Mahoney said of what the club can do to stop opponents' early chances. "I think it comes down to desire and the will to just get ourselves out of this rut. It's been consistent now the past five games. We have game plan. We go in and we give up a crap goal in the first 20 minutes and teams sit back and we play good soccer that doesn't mean (crap) if we can't score. So we have to figure out something, and the only way to get out of this rut is to get out of it and keep working hard."

Things looked promising for Colorado Springs to begin the contest. The Switchbacks won a corner kick in the first minute of play. Defender Patrick Seagrist dribbled past defenders in the seventh minute and put a shot on goal that went just wide.

The tides turned in the 12th minute when Oakland forward Johnny Rodriguez took a shot from beyond the Switchbacks' 18-yard-box. Moving right, but shooting back left. His attempt slipped through a pair of defenders, past the arms of keeper Christian Herrera, off the post and into the net. The score is Rodriguez's fifth on the year, a team high.

From there, the Switchbacks tried to find a goal for the remaining 78 minutes plus stoppage time from both halves, but to no avail.

"Less touches better body position ... be in the right area at the right time that's happening, it's the less touches that's needed," head coach Stephen Hogan said. "The delivery of the ball from (Deshane Beckford) I'd say, I don't know he had seven or eight decent deliveries. Four of them were always on point. One of them needs to be at least a goal. And they know that."

Following the goal, Herrera had four saves on the evening and finished strong in the second half, denying Oakland opportunities in the 63rd and 71st minutes and thwarting another chance in stoppage time.

The individual honors mean nothing, though, in the face of another loss.

"I think it all goes down to work, putting in the work during the week. I think we do, but I think we all gotta maybe go within and humble ourselves and get more. Because the fans deserve more honestly," the coach said.

Colorado Springs returns to action June 10 at home against Orange County SC. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.