Pirates turn the lights out on Saddleback, 2-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Saddleback () | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast () | 1 | 1 | 2 |
COSTA MESA -- The lights shined the brightest for the Orange Coast College women's soccer team on Friday night with an inspired 2-0 Orange Empire Conference win over visiting Saddleback College, played at LeBard Stadium.
The Pirates (6-4-3, 5-2-2 in OEC), winners of two straight and 4-of-5, took a 1-0 lead in the 31st minute when Rachel Meier fed a nice pass to Emily Malec, who beat the Saddleback defense and found the back of the net, give Coast a lead it would not relinquish.
It stayed that way until the 84th minute, when Ana Villanueva fed a pass to Nicole Lombardo and the freshman standout did not miss her opportunity, putting Coast up, 2-0.
In what head coach Kevin Smith described as, "our best match of the year," the Pirate defense held the high-octane Gauchos (10-3-1, 6-2-1) to just three shots on goal, which were all stopped by OCC netminder Odalis Elias.
Coast returns to the bright lights of LeBard Stadium on Tuesday night for another tough matchup as they host Fullerton, beginning at 7 p.m.
