IVC opens OEC with win on road at Cypress College

Candice Perez

In a sibling rivalry Friday afternoon, Irvine Valley and Saddleback Colleges’ women’s soccer teams tied 1-1 at IVC in an Orange Empire Conference match. IVC sophomore Nora Garcia made her second goal of the season with three minutes left to play, bringing the Lasers back into the game. Freshman defender Stacee Brayley made a long pass and Garcia ran toward the top of the penalty box to beat Saddleback goalie Kat Pegg to the ball.

Garcia kicked the ball into the open net, tying the score. Saddleback’s goal came in the 67th minute of the game when freshman Jericho Baichtal picked up a loose ball on the right side. Baichtal settled the ball about 25 yards out and sent a powerful left-footed shot to the upper-left corner of the net.

There were several opportunities and close calls for both teams throughout the game. In the first half, Baichtal almost scored for the Gauchos with a shot that hit the crossbar. In the final minutes, the Lasers had 2 free kicks and 2 corner kicks that failed to bring in points. It looked as though the Lasers would win the game in the final minute.

Sophomore mid fielder Julie Leguizamo made a shot into the net, but IVC’s victory celebration was cut short when Leguizamo was ruled offside on the play. The tie was a relief for IVC, who had taken losses on their last 2 games. IVC’s record now stands at 2-7-3 overall for the season and 0-2-3 in conference.

Saddleback’s new record is 2-5-4 overall and 1-4-1 in the conference. Going into Friday’s game the Lasers were in eighth place in the conference standings and the Gauchos were just ahead of them in seventh place.

IVC and Saddleback will face each other again on November 4.

Both teams will play again Friday at 3 p.m. IVC’s match will be away at Santa Ana City College. Saddleback will host Cypress at Rancho Capistrano.

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