Corsairs Battle Cougars to Scoreless Draw
The Santa Monica College (SMC) women’s soccer team fought to a scoreless tie against College of the Canyons on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Cougars entered the match leading the Western State Conference, South Division, with a 7-3-1 conference record, followed by the Corsairs with a 6-3-1 record.
The first half was evenly matched, with both teams pushing the pace early and taking shots on goal, but struggling to find the net. Canyons controlled possession of the ball and created multiple opportunities to score, but SMC goalkeeper Jacinda Hevesy-Rodriguez anchored the Corsairs’ defense with critical saves.
Midway through the first half, a Canyons player was fouled in the Corsairs’ box, drawing a penalty kick. Hevesy-Rodriguez deflected the initial shot, and the rebound shot struck the crossbar, going out of bounds and keeping the game scoreless.
The Corsairs responded, putting pressure back on the Cougars’ defense through a free kick and a corner kick from midfielder Kobe Aguilar, but Canyons goalkeeper Rebecca Ferguson held firm. The first half ended scoreless with neither team able to convert their chances into goals.
Canyons started off aggressively in the second half, firing three shots on goal in the first 10 minutes. SMC’s defense continued to block the attempts, with Hevesy-Rodriguez leaping to save a shot headed for the top right corner of the goal.
Aguilar led the Corsairs’ offense with three corner kicks in the second half, though each was cleared by the Cougars’ defense. She later picked up a yellow card in the 75th minute after repeated fouls.
With less than two minutes remaining, the Corsairs’ defense managed to clear a Canyons corner kick, and Hevesy-Rodriguez made another diving save to preserve the shutout.
Both teams struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities, and despite leading the division, College of the Canyons was kept off the scoreboard by SMC’s strong defense and standout goalkeeping from Hevesy-Rodriguez, which kept the Corsairs in the game.
“We played really well against a tough team. We worked our butts off for 90 minutes and I’m happy with the result,” Hevesy-Rodriguez said. “I think just keeping our mentality up is important. I know it’s the end of the season, so a lot of girls are really tired, we have some injuries, but I think we just have to keep pushing for the three games left in our season and fight for that title.”
The result leaves the Corsairs in fourth place in the Western State Conference, South Division standings, with a 6-3-2 conference record. The Cougars remain in first place in the standings, followed by Citrus College at 6-2-4 and Bakersfield College at 6-3-3.
With only three conference games remaining, the Corsairs will take on the Monarchs at Los Angeles Valley College at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 7.