The College of the Canyons men’s soccer team suffered its first loss of the season vs. Fullerton College on Tuesday, as the Hornets scored a second half goal to top the Cougars 1-0 on their home turf.

Both teams played well in a scoreless first half, but Fullerton had an advantage in time of possession, while the Hornets outshot COC by an 8-3 margin in the opening period.

The COC defense was up for the challenge though, as Cougar defenders blocked two shots, and goalie Justin Socarras stopped all three shots he faced.

Canyons put together a number of opportunities by countering Fullerton’s strong attack. But despite getting some good chances, the Cougars were only able to record two shots on goal in the game, both coming in the first half.

The game remained scoreless 10 minutes into the second half before the Hornets finally broke the stalemate on scoring play that developed off a corner kick and gave Fullerton a 1-0 advantage.

COC continued to fight back though, as proficient passing set up several excellent scoring chances that ultimately came up empty.

Socarras had another strong showing for the Cougars in goal, saving five of the six shots he faced.

Here’s the box score.

Canyons (1-1) will next host Oxnard College at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 5, before traveling to Sacramento to take part in the Northern California Community College Showcase on Sept. 9.