Firing On All Cylinders

Nicholas McCall | Sports Editor

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Tia Lucas keeps control of the ball, with West Los Angeles Wildcats' Giselle Vela closely behind her, during the women's soccer match on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs midfielder Vashti Zuniga during the women's soccer match against the West Los Angeles College Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

West Los Angeles College Wildcats' goalkeeper Jenna Sosa (left) blocks the ball during the women's soccer match against the Santa Monica College Corsairs on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Tia Lucas (center) and West Los Angeles College Wildcats' Natalie Salas (left) and Ashley Baez all watch Lucas' ball go into the Wildcats' net during the women's soccer match on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Alinna Savaterre and West Los Angeles College Wildcats' Dalia Romo during the women's soccer match on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Tia Lucas (center, seated) talks to the team during intermission at the women's soccer match against the West Los Angeles College Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Women's Soccer Head Coach Aaron Benditson talks to the team during intermission at the women's soccer match against the West Los Angeles College Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' defender Izzy Turner during the women's soccer match against the West Los Angeles College Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Lia Agapitos (center right) and West Los Angeles Wildcats' Emely Sernas (left), Clara De Carvalho (center left), and Akanisi Sorovakanrua (right) during the women's soccer match on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Corsairs' Alanis Rodriguez (2) jumps alongside Amarah Martinez (right), who head-butts the ball, during the women's soccer match against the West Los Angeles College Wildcats on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, at Wildcat Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. The Corsairs won 5-0. (Nicholas McCall | The Corsair)

SMC women’s soccer resoundingly beat the West LA Wildcats.

On Sept. 29, an overcast Friday afternoon, the Santa Monica College Corsairs women's soccer team beat the West Los Angeles College Wildcats by an impressive margin. The final score was 5-0. 

Throughout the match, the Corsairs shined on both sides of the ball. With two goals in the first half, one from forward Tia Lucas and another from middle Vashti Zuniga, their offense was firing on all cylinders.

In the second half, they kept up the scoring barrage, with forward Roz Tauvaa putting in two goals and forward Amarah Martinez adding one more. When asked about her mentality on the offensive end, Amarah explained that this game was personal to her. “I feel like I tried my best at this game because I used to go to West LA. So like, playing them, I gotta go my hardest. But that’s with every game that I play. I just play with heart,” she said.

Arguably more impressive was the Corsairs’ defense. When asked about his team’s performance on that end, Head Coach Aaron Benditson said, “I thought we actually defended really good for our frontline. They did a really good job of pressing and sustaining control of the game high up on the field, which was nice. So it limited what our backline really had to do.

Benditson’s praise for the defense was well-deserved. Throughout the entire game, the Wildcats never even attempted a shot on the goal.