Community college women’s soccer: Mahler shut down in conference

clash

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA - Something had to give when the Orange Empire

Conference’s top two women’s soccer teams, Cypress College and Orange

Coast, met Friday.

The Pirates appeared to have the slight advantage as they hosted the

matchup, but without two of its top defensive players, OCC worked uphill

in its quest to upset the Chargers. With aggressive counterattacks that

came in the second half, Cypress maintained its position atop the OEC

with a 2-0 win.

“I don’t want to whine, but we had two of our starters out,” OCC Coach

Barbara Bond said of sophomores Jessica Pearson (fractured foot) and

Kristen Hamman (concussion), who were out of action because of injuries.

“We tried to use (their absence) as a positive. We wanted to use it to

spark us to concentrate. The gals we put in did a great job.”

Hamman is expected to return Tuesday, while Pearson said she will be

ready for the playoffs, which begin Nov. 13.

Bond noted freshman forward Lauren Cassity, a product of Estancia

High, stepped up and had one of her better games, while sweeper Alicia

Santiago intensified her efforts in place of Pearson.

Yet it was the Chargers’ defensive strategy to shut down OCC freshman

scoring phenom Jaycee Mahler that proved to be the difference. Mahler,

who leads the OEC in scoring with 22 (28 overall), was the focus of

Cypress Coach Dave King. Mahler, a Corona del Mar High product, holds the

OCC single-season goals record after scoring four goals in a 9-0 win at

Fullerton Tuesday. The freshman forward, who practiced with the Chargers

for three months in the spring before switching to OCC, had scored at

least a goal for five straight games before running into Cypress.

King made sure at least one player marked Mahler, while a zone-type

defense shaded the area in front of her. It worked. Mahler was able to

fire off just one shot and that was more of a center pass, which goalie

Angela Orr snagged from the air. Orr had nine saves and recorded her

ninth conference shutout.

“This was the conference-decider,” King said. “Today the emotions were

high. I wouldn’t say we played one of our better games. But OCC came up

with some intensity and we did a good job of matching that.”

The battle for first place in the OEC included a playoff-type

atmosphere and featured the improving Pirates (14-4, 10-2 in conference),

who entered with a seven-game winning streak, outscoring opponents, 46-5.

The Chargers (16-0-2, 10-0-1), outscored foes, 52-3, with six shutouts

and one tie in their games after last defeating the Pirates, 3-0, Sept.

18. Cypress is ranked No. 2 in Southern California and Coast is No. 3.

After a scoreless first half, Cassity opened the second with a grand

opportunity to bring life to the Pirates.She sped out on a breakaway and

nearly scored, but her shot dribbled just wide right of the net. Less

than two minutes later, Cassity earned the same scenario, but came up

short again.

“The best part about (her performance) was that it wasn’t like we were

playing against a weak team,” Bond said of Cassity. “It was like, how

could you watch the game and not see her?”

While the Pirates became more aggressive in the second half, the

Chargers answered with their counterattacks. After Sadye Reish’s shot

bounced off OCC goalie Laurie Perkins’ hands, Sarah Moranville swooped in

with a shot into an empty net for a 1-0 lead in the 57th minute. Eight

minutes later, on another counterattack, Breanne Crowley crossed a pass

to Holly Rife who finished it off to put the game on ice.