Gauchos tie #2 Hawks for key point
The Saddleback women’s soccer team knew it had a tough task on Tuesday when it hosted the No. 2 team in the nation in Santiago Canyon College. The Gauchos were up to the task, playing to a scoreless tie to earn a key point in Orange Empire Conference play.
The Saddleback women's soccer team knew it had a tough task on Tuesday when it hosted the No. 2 team in the nation in Santiago Canyon College. The Gauchos were up to the task, playing to a scoreless tie to earn a key point in Orange Empire Conference play.
Saddleback entered the day alone in fifth place with SCC being the last game of the opening round of conference play. The Gauchos saddled the Hawks with their second tie of the season, battling Santiago Canyon for 90 minutes.
Santiago Canyon entered the game ranked No. 2 by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and was 9-0-2 on the season in one of the toughest conferences in the country. The Gauchos showed why the OEC is brutal on Tuesday, stifling an offense averaging 3.8 goals-per-game.
Saddleback keeper Alexandria Scott stopped all seven shots on goal by Santiago Canyon in a game that was evenly matched throughout. SCC outshot the Gauchos 9-8 with a 7-3 advantage in shots on goal. Scott's biggest save of the game came in the 70th minute on a shot by Hawk sharpshooter Taylor Hollywood.
Saddleback entered the game 0-22-4 lifetime against Santiago Canyon, a program that has won 10 straight Orange Empire Conference championships, two state titles and one national title. It was the second time in the past three meetings that the Gauchos have earned a tie with the Hawks after a tie in first round play last season.
Saddleback now stands at 7-2-3 overall and 3-2-3 in conference play for the year. The Gauchos will open the second half of the conference schedule on Friday when it hosts Orange Coast College at 3:00 PM. The Pirates defeated the Gauchos 1-0 on September 16 in the conference opener at OCC.