Santa Monica College’s women’s soccer team hosted College of the Canyons at home on Friday, Oct 16. The teams were tied 0-0 at halftime before College of the Canyons scored in the 66th minute to defeat Santa Monica College 1-0.
The Corsairs had won five straight games entering the match, while the Cougars had won their previous eight games.
Both teams went back and forth in the first half. The Corsairs finished with three shots on goal while the Cougars had two.
SMC’s right back Alexa Burr said after the game that College of the Canyons is always one of SMC’s top competitors.
“Canyon is one of our top competitors out of the whole league,” she said. "Very excited to play this team and it brought out a very competitive game, I think we all brought out our best game.”
The attack continued in the second half as play became more physical. Both teams committed fouls, but neither received a card. College of the Canyons scored in the 66th minute with an assist from midfielder Katelyn Vargas to midfielder Leila Sadra. The Cougars took a 1-0 lead.
The goal did not stop the Corsairs from pressing for an equalizer. They kept the ball in their attacking half, creating multiple shots on goal and corner kicks.
With ten minutes left in the half, the Corsairs had a chance to score on an open goal, but the defense closed in quickly to prevent a shot.
After the 90 minutes, the teams played five minutes of stoppage time. he Corsairs had one last corner kick taken by center midfielder Lidia Crespin, but the Cougars’ goalkeeper made her seventh save of the game to stop the final attack. The 1-0 win extended College of the Canyons’ winning streak to nine games.
"I mean, obviously disappointed that we didn't get the result but I’m really proud of our team,” head coach Aaron Benditson said. “The way that we fought and we competed. Sometimes soccer can be cruel. The game could have gone either way.”