Auer's late goal lifts Pirates past Dons, 1-0
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Santa Ana (7-9-2, 4-7-2) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Orange Coast (10-4-4, 8-3-2) | 0 | 1 | 1 |
COSTA MESA -- Over 80 minutes of frustration was erased by the foot of Haley Auer as her late goal lifted the Orange Coast College women's soccer team to a 1-0 Orange Empire Conference win over visiting Santa Ana on Tuesday at the OCC Soccer Complex.
After controlling things for most of the game, the Pirates (10-4-4, 8-3-2 in OEC) had little to showw for things as the Dons (7-9-2, 4-7-2) bent, but didn't break throughout the match.
Each team found little breathing room near the other team's goal as the defense picked up on both sides of the field.
After a scoreless half, the Pirates took advantage of a favorable wind and controlled action throughout most of the second half, but the score remained scoreless.
Finally, in the 83rd minute, a nice feed from Tiffany Chantler to Auer connected and the freshman forward ripped a low shot past SAC goalkeeper Breana Martinez (eight saves) for the lone goal of the match.
SAC had a decent shot on goal in the final two minutes, but OCC goalkeeper Alison Marlow (four saves) made the diving stop and kept the ball out of the goal.
With the win, Orange Coast pulls ahead of Fullerton for third place in the OEC, thanks to the Hornets losing, 1-0, at Saddleback on Tuesday. Coast is just one point behind second-place Cypress and those two teams will do battle on Friday at Cypress College, beginning at 3 p.m. In the opening round matchup, the Chargers edged the Pirates, 2-1, at OCC on Oct. 3.
