City College women’s soccer defeated Mt. San Jacinto College 2-0 Thursday afternoon at La Playa Stadium in the Southern California Regional opener.
Sophomore goalkeeper Brianna Robinson (No. 1) saved all 11 shots en route to recording her eighth shutout of the season as Jackie Holmer (No. 8) and Brandie Harris (No. 2) provided the goals for the Vaqueros. The victory puts the Vaqueros into the first round of the So Cal Regional.
Robinson held the Eagles scoreless but paid the price for it with 20 minutes remaining to keep the score 1-0 Vaqueros. Robinson jumped up to catch the high cross and was met by an Eagles forward who was attempting to head the ball.
“It felt like a got hit by a freight train,” Robinson said of the save. “You can’t be nervous, you have to keep your composure in those situations.”
The Vaqueros and Eagles both received at-large bids into the play-in round with chances to advance into the state tournament. The Eagles (12-7-2) finished second in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference North Division earning them the final No. 18 spot in the So Cal Regional. The Vaqueros (13-5-2) finished in third place in the Western State Conference North and entered the tournament as the No. 15 seed.
Freshman Jackie Holmer (No. 8) scored with seven minutes left in the first half off an assist by Heather Rivera (No. 18) to break the scoreless tie. The Vaqueros had numerous opportunities in the first half but weren’t able to get the ball in the back of the net until Holmer’s goal.
Brandie Harris, the No. 2 scorer in the state, had her chances in the first 70 minutes of the game but wasn’t able to get one in until 17 minutes remained in the match. The goal was her 30th of the year, three more than that of previous school record holder Jessica Dominichelli’s 27 in 2011. She has now scored in nine of the team’s last ten games.
Although the Vaqueros walked off the field victorious, the team was not satisfied with their performance. Head coach John Sisterson made note of the expectations the women have for themselves and didn’t think they played up to those.
“I don’t know if we were thinking about Saturday’s game or what but you have to take care of business here first,” said Sisterson.
Both coaches and players know they must play better in order to keep their postseason alive as the games will only get harder from here. The Vaqueros victory sets up a date with the No. 2 team in the state Santiago Canyon College of Orange. The Hawks (17-1-2) are the overall No. 2 seed and were the runner-up in last years So Cal Regional.
The Vaqueros next game is Saturday, Nov. 23, at Santiago Canyon College in Orange.
