Pirates will face L.A. Pierce in playoff opener
COSTA MESA -- After a 17-3 record in 2012, the Orange Coast College women's soccer team will travel to L.A. Pierce to face the Brahmas on Saturday, beginning at 2 p.m.
Despite the impressive record, the Pirates only earned a No. 9 seed in the 18-team Southern California Regional Playoff tournament. L.A. Pierce finished the regular season with a record of 12-4-4, but had a higher RPI percentage than the Pirates, which put the Brahmas in the higher seed.
"We're looking forward to the challenge," OCC head coach Kevin Smith said. "We've had a great season and after tasting some playoff success last year, we'd like to do more of the same this year."
Last year, the Pirates were the No. 16 seed and they upset the nation's No. 1 team, Cerritos College, in the opening round. Coast then defeated Miramar before falling to Orange Empire Conference rival Santiago Canyon in the regional semifinals.
In 2012, it's been smooth sailing for Coast, outscoring the opposition 78-12 in the regular season, using a relentless offense and constant defensive pressure, the Pirates earned 15 wins by three goals ore more and notched 14 shutouts.
Sophomores Sara Gomez and Sarah MacArthur have been a dominant 1-2 punch up front for OCC. Gomez led the team with 19 goals and nine assists for 41 points, while MacArthur has come on strong late in the with 15 goals and 11 assists, including a four-goal outburst in the season finale against Irvine Valley.
With most of the attention given to Gomez and MacArthur, the Pirates have shown the ability to find depth in their offense. Sophomores Jessica Amaral (six goals, 10 assists), Emma Pridmore (eight goals, five assists), Cindy Rubio (six goals, three assists) and freshman Courtney Garrity (four goals, five assists) give OCC plenty of scoring options.
Among the standouts on defense include sophomores Caitlin Padian, Siobhan O'Toole and freshman Anmarie Moreno. Sophomore goalkeeper Kate O'Banion has allowed just eight goals in 1,080 minutes played.
For the Brahmas, offensive stars include Jackie Hilario (17 goals, nine assists), Edith Dominguez (nine goals, 18 assists) and Shawnie Moore (13 goals, four assists). In goal, April Russell has played in all 20 matches for L.A. Pierce and has averaged just one goal allowed per contest.
The winner of Saturday's match will play the winner of the matchup between No. 1 Santiago Canyon and the play-in game between Pasadena City and Santa Monica.
