City College women’s soccer won its first playoff game after beating the Ventura College Pirates in a double-overtime shootout on Saturday night at home. 

With a strong defense from both teams, the ball frequently circled back and forth across the field, putting the fans at La Playa Stadium on the edge of their seats. 

The Vaqueros nearly scored in the second of the game, but the Pirates goalkeeper dove across the net to save the ball at the last second.  

As the second half began, City College standout Mekaylla White quickly scored the first goal of the night in the 48-minute of the game, assisted by Quinn Simpson. 

“Everyone played really well, both as individuals and as a team player,” said White. “We’re all really motivated to keep going and doing our best.” 

The Pirates made the second goal of the evening in the 65-minute of the game, leading to a tie of 1-1 with 25 minutes left of the second half of the game. 

After numerous shots to break the tie from both teams the game ended with 1-1, and it went into double-overtime. 

The defense was strong for both sides, forcing the game to advance to pentalty shootouts. 

With no defenders in sight, the kicker and goalkeeper faced each other as each team got five shots each. The goalkeepers took turns standing in the net as the opposite team tried to score from the penalty spot.

Molly Branigan scored the first shot in the shootout for the Vaqueros, followed by another goal from Courtney Cook, and then from Mekaylla White.

The star of the evening was Vaqueros goalkeeper Elizabeth Estrada, who scored the winning goal in the shootout and blocked the Pirates’ last attempt, leading the Vaqueros to victory. 

Head Coach John Sisterson was pleased with the outcome of the night’s game, emphasizing that this is the third win for the team against the Pirates this season. 

“It was an exciting game that could have gone either way,” said Sisterson. “I thought they all played really well and I’m excited about the result.”

Estrada said she felt confident during the game and believe that everyone put on an outstanding performance in the night’s game. 

“We all played our best and put in the effort needed,” said Estrada. “I think we all felt pretty confident.” 

The Vaqueros look to advance to the third round of the playoffs as they battle. No. 15 Saddleback at 7 p.m on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at La Playa Stadium.