 |
11/4/11: Soccer back on winning track
 The Saddleback women's soccer team was able to avenge an early 2-1 loss to Santa Ana by blanking the visiting Dons 1-0 in light rain on Friday. Both teams, hoping for a slick field and possible miscues by the goalkeepers, got off several shots in the contest. Saddleback had 17 shot attempts with Santa Ana getting off eight shot attempts.
Bailey Marquez' pass from the right flat at about the 18-yard line went untouched by the Santa Ana defense and found the foot of Julia Hernandez (pictured) waiting just inside the far post, giving Saddleback a 1-0 lead midway through the first half. That would be the only score of the game as Saddleback goalkeeper Kristen Egner posted five saves on the way to earning the shutout.
10/28/11: Soccer falls to Rustlers
 After posting back-to-back 2-1 victories over Fullerton and Riverside, Saddleback's modest two-game winning streak came to an end on Friday as the Gauchos dropped a 2-1 decision to visiting Golden West College.
Golden West scored midway through the first half as Jessica Fisher's pass in front of the net was driven into the net by Natalie Diaz. Saddleback answered just minutes into the second half as Bailey Marquez found gold on a centering pass from Valerie Hlozek. Despite holding an advantage in ball control and shots on goal (12-7), Saddleback could not add a go-ahead goal. Golden West would get a second goal at the 72-minute mark as Candice Holt would score on a feed from Katy Swart.
Saddleback goalkeeper Kristen Egner and Golden West keeper Lisa Fleck each posted four saves.
10/26/11: Women’s soccer wins second straight
 The women’s soccer team is suddenly playing its best soccer down the stretch, as the Gauchos completed a season sweep of Riverside City College with a 2-1 win on Tuesday at JSerra High School. The Gauchos have now won two straight and three of its past five games, as it looks to finish the 2011 campaign on a high note.
Saddleback scored first as Julia Hernandez connected on a feed from Valerie Hlozek in the 25th minute, giving the Gauchos an early 1-0 lead. Riverside answered quickly, scoring in the 28th minute, and serving notice they weren’t going away quietly. Hlozek then tallied the game-winner in the 70th minute from 23-yards out on an assist from Bailey Marquez, as Saddleback completed the season sweep over the Tigers.
The win propels Saddleback into sixth place in the Orange Empire Conference, just two points behind both Golden West and Riverside, who currently sit in a tie for fourth place. The Gauchos will have an opportunity to catch Golden West on Friday when they host the Rustlers at JSerra High School at 3:00 PM.
10/21/11: Women's soccer bounces back to sting Hornets
Saddleback College came back from a 1-0 deficit to defeat Fullerton College, 2-1, in an Orange Empire Conference women's soccer match on Friday at JSerra High School.
Fullerton's Andrea Torres put the Hornets up 1-0 midway through the first half as Saddleback's goalkeeper tried to clear a pass that came into the goal box. Her clear was collected just outside the 18-yard mark in the center of the field by Torres who eyed the open net and easily rolled it in.
Saddleback would answer just seven minutes later as Casey Zeffiro's centering pass glanced off of a Fullerton defender who had tried to clear the ball with a header and mis-timed her jump. Bailey Marquez (pictured) was behind the play and was able to strike the ball past the Hornet keeper to tie the game.
A more-spirited second half was winding down with several Saddleback runs not accounting for any goals until Marquez was able to add her second goal of the afternoon, collecting a ball in front of the net that was just blocked by the Hornet defense and rolling it in.
Saddleback outshot Fullerton 17-10 in the game, including 11-5 in the second half. Fullerton goalkeeper Monique Moran accounted for nine saves while Saddleback's Kristen Egner earned the win with four saves.
10/18/11: Gauchos snap scoring drought against Cypress
 After being shutout by Cypress for the past six years (11 games), the Gauchos finally got on the scoreboard midway through the first half of their Orange Empire Conference match against the Chargers on Tuesday. But the Gauchos couldn't hold on down the stretch and fell to Cypress, 2-1.
Casey Zeffiro's centering pass in front of the cage was intended for teammate Bailey Marquez but a Cypress defender jumped over Marquez to head the ball away. The defender missed the header and it glanced off the back of her head into the goal.
It appeared Saddleback would take that one-goal lead into the intermission as the Gauchos controlled the ball for a good portion of the first half. Cypress made a run just four minutes before halftime as Megan Ollar carried the ball into the right corner. As Saddleback goalkeeper Kristen Egner moved out to cut down the angle, Ollar's centering pass found Samantha Rice wide open in front of the empty net for the equalling score.
The teams battled for over 35 minutes of the second half with very few shots being taken until Rice blasted a shot from just inside the top left corner of the penalty box into a crowd of four Saddleback defenders. The ball glanced off a Saddleback player and carried past the goalkeeper for the go-ahead goal.
10/11/11: Gauchos blank Lasers
 For the first time this season, Saddleback had more shots on goal than its opponent and the offensive pressure paid off with a 3-0 victory for the Gauchos over visiting Irvine Valley College in a battle of district rivals.
Saddleback head coach Brandee Craig told her team before the game that it would need to take an average of 10 shots in order  to reap one goal. She was absolutely correct in the first half, as Saddleback outshot Irvine Valley 10-2 and took a 1-0 advantage into the intermission. That goal was scored at the 24-minute mark on a shot by Jenna Becker (left) from near the 18-yard line.
It only took Saddleback three minutes into the second half to score again. Valerie Hlozek's cross to the far post was headed in by Casey Zeffiro, a sweeper who was moved up to a forward position for this game. The Gauchos added a third goal at the 58-minute mark when Hlozek's direct free-kick was knocked down near the left post and Kaelyn Kaichi was there to quickly flip it into the net.
Saddleback outshot Irvine Valley 18-3 in the contest. Saddleback's Brianna Trombley was credited with two saves. IVC's Amanda Rashtian recorded 12 saves for the Lasers.
The Gauchos will play at Orange Coast College on Friday at 7:00 p.m. That game will be played in the OCC campus stadium.
10/7/11: Hawks drop goose egg on Gauchos
 Playing without its two top goalkeepers due to injuries, Saddleback coach Brandee Craig knew it would be a tall order to ask her team to pull a shutout over one of the state's top-ranked teams on Friday afternoon. The Gauchos didn't have an offensive answer for Santiago Canyon, falling to the Hawks 5-0.
Before the game, Craig had selected two position players to warm up in the goal. Chelsea Duvenage took her turn in the net during the first half, posting five saves and allowing three goals. Brianna Trombley (pictured) gave it a shot in the second half, posting four saves and allowing two goals.
Offensively, Saddleback couldn't keep pace. Santiago Canyon outshot Saddleback 17-3 in the game with the Hawk keeper stopping all three Saddleback shots, including a miraculous save on a shot by Jenna Becker from point-blank range which was deflected in self-defense and carried over the crossbar.
Saddleback will host Irvine Valley on Tuesday, Oct. 11, at 6:15 p.m. at JSerra High School in San Juan Capistrano.
10/6/11: Soccer comeback falls short
 The Saddleback women’s soccer team mounted a comeback on Tuesday, but came up short in falling to Santa Ana College, 2-1. The Gauchos broke through with a late goal by Danielle Trimino, but could not come up with the equalizer in the closing seconds.
Saddleback has played great defense the entire season, allowing just three goals in one game this season through 11 starts. Unfortunately, it is on offense where the Gauchos have struggled and once again it was an issue in a heated Orange Empire Conference battle at Santa Ana on Tuesday.
Saddleback outshot the Dons 8-5 in the opening 45 minutes but could not put any balls behind Santa Ana keeper Stephanie Hernandez in falling behind 1-0 at the intermission. The Gauchos then got themselves into a deeper hole when Santa Ana scored in the 49th minute to widen the gap.
Saddleback then had an opportunity to make it a one-goal game in the 78th minute when they were given a penalty kick on a foul in the box. Unfortunately, Casey Zeffiro’s shot was saved by Hernandez and the Gauchos were once again turned back.
Saddleback finally broke through in the 87th minute when Trimino stole a ball from a defender and beat Hernandez to narrow the gap to 2-1. The Gauchos had one more opportunity from Phaedra Lujano in the 90th minute, but it went wide and Saddleback was again on the short end of the scoreboard.
Saddleback outshot Santa Ana 17-13 for the game, but it was Hernandez that made critical saves in turning back the Gauchos. Saddleback will look to bounce back on Friday when they host perennial power Santiago Canyon College. Game time is set for 3:00 PM at JSerra High School.
Saddleback is now 1-8-2 overall on the season and 1-4-1 in Orange Empire Conference play. The Gauchos have lost six times by just one goal.
9/24/11: Women’s soccer breaks through with win
 It has been a frustrating 2011 campaign for the women’s soccer team at Saddleback this season, but the team finally persevered and won its first game of the season with a 2-0 win over Riverside College on Friday at Riverside. Sophomore Kaelyn Kaichi scored a goal and assisted on another as the Gauchos blanked a solid Tiger squad to end the early-season slide.
Saddleback has played great defense all season, never giving up more than two goals in any game, but had almost nothing to show for in starting the season 0-6-2 heading into an Orange Empire showdown on Friday with a Riverside team that came into the contest at 3-2-2 overall. The Gauchos finally broke through into the win column with an impressive win against a gritty Tiger team.
Kaichi took a pass from Valerie Hlozek and slipped it past RCC goalkeeper Jordan Crosby 10 minutes into the game to give Saddleback a lead it would never relinquish. The game remained 1-0 until the second half when Kaichi then found Devin Higgins open in the clear, and Higgins made it count in beating Crosby in the 75th minute to give the Gauchos a commanding 2-0 lead.
Saddleback also received a nice performance in the nets from Lura Hills, who completed the shutout with six saves.
Saddleback (1-6-2, 1-2-1) will play again at Golden West College on Tuesday at 3:00 PM.
9/19/11: Soccer tie with Cypress is a big win
 The women’s soccer program hasn’t given up more than two goals in any game during the 2011 campaign, but still remained winless headed into a game on Friday at perennial power Cypress College. The Gauchos put aside past results against the Chargers, finishing in a 0-0 tie.
Never before has a tie felt so good for the Saddleback program, but after countless close losses a tie against the powerhouse program from Cypress. The Gauchos received a great effort all around, including eight saves by goalkeeper Lura Hills in stifling the Chargers’ attack, and picking up a key tie in Orange Empire Conference play.
“We played a phenomenal game,” head coach Brandee Craig said. “I was very proud of the team. I can’t remember the last time we held Cypress scoreless.”
In looking at the record books, the last time Saddleback held Cypress scoreless was a 0-0 tie on October 17, 2003.
With the tie, Saddleback is now 0-5-2 on the season and 0-1-1 in Orange Empire Conference play. The Gauchos play again at Fullerton College on Tuesday at 3:00 PM.
9/13/11: Soccer sunk by Pirates
 Saddleback's woes on the soccer field continued Tuesday in the opening game of the Orange Empire Conference schedule as visiting Orange Coast College sailed away with a 2-0 victory to keep the Gauchos winless on the season.
Despite not getting off any offensive shots on goal against Orange Coast (3-1-1, 1-0) in the first half, Saddleback (0-5-1, 0-1) found itself in a scoreless tie at halftime -- thanks in part to five first-half saves from goalkeeper Kristen Egner (left). After five more saves in the second half, Egner gave up a goal in the 62nd minute and then was injured and had to leave the game with just over 10 minutes to play. The Pirates added a second goal in the 80th minute against Lura Hills.
Saddleback had several offensive runs in the second half, led by Kaelyn Kaichi, Julia Hernandez, and Tory French, but couldn't capitalize on any of those seven second-half shots. Orange Coast also had seven shots in the second half.
The Gauchos will play at Cypress on Friday.
9/9/11: Win eludes Gauchos
The Saddleback women's soccer team needed to snap its four-game skid and build momentum heading into next week's Orange Empire Conference-opener. That goal was only partially realized on Friday against a visiting San Diego City College team.
Valerie Hlozek was able to bend it like Beckham and found the upper-right corner of the net on a corner kick from the left side just 12 minutes into the contest. It appeared that the goal might lead to an offensive barrage from the Gauchos (0-4-1) as they outshot the Knights 11-5 in the first half. But that would be the only ball that the Gauchos would be able to put into the net and Saddleback had to settle for a 1-1 tie. San Diego City (1-2-1) was able to counter Saddleback's early goal just two minutes before halftime as JoJo Carrillo was able to roll in a ball which landed at her feet after a centering pass ricocheted off of teammate Melissa Arauz in front of the net.
That goal gave the Knights hope in the second half and the teams played a more balanced game, ending in a 1-1 draw. Saddleback goalkeeper Lura Hills posted four saves in the game while San Diego City's goalkeeper, Monica Baldrich, needed to make nine saves.
Saddleback will host Orange Coast College on Tuesday, Sept. 13, in the conference-opener for both schools. That game will be at 6:15 p.m. at JSerra High School. The Gauchos then travel to Cypress on Friday, Sept. 16, for a 3:00 p.m. contest.
9/8/11: Tough luck continues for soccer
 Losing by one goal in soccer is common, but having it happen four times in a row is more than a bit unlucky. The women’s soccer team saw its unlucky streak extend over the weekend when it fell 1-0 and 2-1 in games at Cuesta College on Friday and Saturday.
Saddleback entered the weekend at 0-2 on the season, both losses coming by one goal against Chaffey College and Miramar College. They saw that bit of misfortune continue on Friday when they lost to Butte College, 1-0, at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo.
Saturday morning it looked as if the drought would be over when the Gauchos scored in the opening two minutes on a goal by Valerie Hlozek (pictured left) from Danielle Trimino. Unfortunately, two minutes later Diablo Valley would answer and the game stayed the same until 25 minutes remaining when DVC would break the ice to take a 2-1 lead. Saddleback would fail to answer, as the streak extended to four-straight, one-goal losses. The Gauchos didn’t come away empty, however, as head coach Brandee Craig praised her team for their efforts.
“That was one of the hardest fought games I have ever seen,” Craig said. “I am proud of their effort.”
Saddleback will be back on the pitch on Friday at JSerra High School when they host San Diego City College at 3:00 PM.
8/30/11: Gauchos' season starts with two tight losses
Saddleback, which opened the 2011 season with a narrow 2-1 loss at Chaffey over the weekend, suffered a second-straight disappointing setback as the Gauchos fell to San Diego Miramar by a 1-0 count on Tuesday evening.
 After both teams battled to a scoreless first half, Miramar was able to find the net 20 minutes into the second half as Holly Gamester's cross from the right wing was headed into the left corner of the net by Jennifer Rodriguez for the game's only goal. The score was the only blemish against Saddleback sophomore goalkeeper Kristen Egner (pictured) who posted 11 saves on the night as Miramar fired off 16 shots. Saddleback was only able to take two shots on goal against the Jets. Miramar goalkeeper Sandra Castro did not need to make a save as one shot rolled just outside of her diving reach past the left post and the second shot rolled just outside the right post.
Miramar improves to 2-0 early in the season while Saddleback drops to 0-2.
8/10/11: Still interested in playing?
Time is running out on those interested in playing for the 2012 Gaucho women’s soccer team, but there is still time to be a part of the action. Saddleback will start play on August 26, but still has room on the roster.
If interested in playing this season, contact head coach Brandee Craig at bcraig@saddleback.edu before August 14 in order to be a part of the 2012 team.
6/15/11: Summer class begins July 5
Just a reminder to anyone interested in playing soccer in the fall, you should be enrolled in the summer soccer class beginning July 5. The class runs on Monday-Thursday from 9:00-10:00.
In addition, fall class begins on August 15 and runs the entire week with double-day practices (8:00-10:00 & 12:00-2:00).
11/23/10: Soccer coach to head up sophomore showcase
 Saddleback head soccer coach Brandee Craig has been selected to coach the South squad in the 2010 Sophomore Bowl which will be played on Saturday, December 4, at College of the Canyons starting at 1:00 p.m.
Craig, who was chosen as the Orange Empire Conference Coach of the Year, will guide the South team against a similar team of sophomores representing Northern California in the annual game played on the off day at the soccer state championship tournament held on the Canyons campus.
The Sophomore Bowl teams are a collection of the first-team all-conference players in each region who have used their sophomore year of eligibility in 2010 and are eligible to transfer in the fall. There are 49 sophomores from Southern California expected to play in the showcase event and over 40 four-year coaches to be in attendance to scout.
Archives:
2010 News
2009 News
2008 News
2007 News
| Important Information |
| Other Soccer Links
|
|
Accredited by the
Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges, of the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges