Oxnard Regains Its Footing in Soccer With 4-1 Victory

Earlier this month, Oxnard High had one of the hottest boys’ soccer teams in Ventura County. The Yellowjackets had boosted their standing by advancing to the semifinals of the prestigious Simi Valley tournament.

But Oxnard came into Wednesday’s match against visiting Rio Mesa needing a win to stay in the Channel League race. The Yellowjackets achieved their objective by scoring three goals in the second half en route to a 4-1 win.

Christian Martinez scored in the first minute of the second half after a pass from Jose Luis Fernandez to give Oxnard (6-5-2, 2-2-2 in league play) a 2-1 lead.

Alan Wedenmeyer and Jose Vidal Velascos added unassisted goals in the 52nd and 78th minutes to clinch the win. Rio Mesa fell to 1-4-2, 0-5.

The Yellowjackets played deliberately in the first 40 minutes and fell behind, 1-0, at the 30-minute mark when Rio Mesa sophomore forward Jarrod Retzloff stole a pass just inside the penalty area and fired a 15-yard bullet past goalie Emilio Navarro.

Fernandez tied the score in the 36th minute when he took a pass from David Smith along the right wing and fired a low shot past Rio Mesa goalie Dino Del Torro, just inside the far post.