8/22/2011 Taylor Ziencina joins women's soccer staff
Taylor Ziencina, a former standout player from Tesoro High, has joined the Irvine Valley women's soccer program as an assistant coach. She was a star player at Tesoro High from 2003-06, helping lead the Titans to a CIF title in 2006.
Ziencina went on to play at Cal State San Marcos from 2007-2010. She helped lead the program to the playoffs for the first time ever in 2007 and to its first ever national NAIA ranking in 2008. She was an all-conference player from 2007-10 and a scholar athlete from 2008-10.
And Ziencina still holds San Marcos' all-time points (51) and assists (21) records and is second all-time in goals with 15. She graduated from San Marcos with a degree in communications.
She coached for two seasons at Fallbrook High while she played at San Marcos and has been coaching for the last year with the Laguna Hills Eclipse Soccer Club.
She holds a US Soccer Federation “D” License.
Her goals at Irvine Valley include "helping the team be successful in what we want to do as a whole, help in recruiting, offer my persepective of the game of soccer and learn from the coaches and players."
11/9/2010 Lasers shut out in night game by Saddleback
The Irvine Valley women's soccer team played Saddleback tough for the second time this season, but couldn't come away with a win in an Orange Empire Conference game Tuesday night at JSerra High in San Juan Capistrano.
Saddleback scored a goal in each half to come away with a 2-0 victory.
The loss dropped Irvine Valley's record to 5-15-0 overall and 3-12 in conference. The Lasers finish the season on Friday on the road at Riverside.
Saddleback broke a scoreless tie just before halftime as Kaelyn Kaichi was able to find the net off of a pass from Mia Trimino. The Gauchos added a second goal at the 68-minute mark when Bailey Marquez scored on a pass from Valerie Hlozek.
Irvine Valley goalie Denise Lares posted all nine of her saves in the second half.
11/5/2010 Women's soccer team wraps up home schedule
The Irvine Valley women's soccer team battled despite having just 12 healthy-enough players, but it wasn't enough to stay with one of the top teams in the Orange Empire Conference.
Cypress won its seventh straight match and kept its hopes alive for a conference title with a 6-0 win at IVC on Friday afternoon.
The Chargers took charge early with a goal in the fourth minute and then put the contest away just before the end of the half with two goals in a three-minute span.
The Lasers (5-14-0, 3-11-0) played better in the second half, but ended up with their fourth straight loss.
Freshman keeper Denise Lares made seven saves in goal for Irvine Valley.
Megan Ollar, Kayla Arenas and Murphy each finished with a goal and an assist on the day to lead Cypress. Kelly Mitsumori added two assists in the win for the Chargers, who improved their record to 16-1-3 overall and 11-1-2 in conference.
IVC finishes the regular season next week with road games at Saddleback and Riverside.
10/19/2010 Krueger scores hat trick against Fullerton
Irvine Valley freshman women's soccer player Kristy Krueger had enough time to score a hat trick and still make it to class on time Tuesday afternoon.
Krueger's three goals helped give Irvine Valley a 4-2 lead over Fullerton in a Orange Empire Conference match that was suspended by the referee in the 88th minute because of lightning strikes in the Irvine area.
It still needs to be determined if the match was considered final or if it will be resumed.
The win would give IVC a 5-10-0 record overall and a 3-7-0 mark in conference.
The game was also delayed at the start by 40 minutes because of lightning.
Both teams had chances early. IVC sophomore Arabia Ruiz had an open goal, but pushed a shot wide. Fullerton's Angelica Cervantes hit the post and then Krueger hit the crossbar for the Lasers.
Fullerton took the lead in the 27th minute on a goal by Erica Avalos.
Krueger tied things just before the end of the first half. She took a long ball from sophomore Allie Bertagna, beat a defender and then placed a shot into the lower left corner of the net.
Fullerton went ahead, 2-1, in the 53rd minute on another goal by Avalos. Kara Hazen recorded the assist.
But Krueger tied it at 2-2 by rocketing in a shot on a free kick in the 57th minute.
Freshman Kathleen Imagawa then picked the right time to score her first goal of the season. She put in the game-winner in the 76th minute for the Lasers, chipping the Fullerton goalie from long-range.Krueger then capped the scoring in the 80th minute with a header goal off a corner kick by Imagawa.
Krueger was subbed out shortly after and rushed off to make it to a 5:30 p.m. midterm.
IVC keeper Denise Lares made five saves in goal.
Irvine Valley plays again on Friday, hosting Golden West at 3 p.m. The match is part of a doubleheader with the IVC men's team.
10/12/2010 Soccer team breaks skid, tops Riverside
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team snapped a four-match losing streak, beating Riverside, 1-0, Tuesday afternoon in an Orange Empire Conference game at IVC.
The lone goal in the contest came a minute before the end of the first half. Freshman Stephanie Horwitz lined up a free kick near the center line. She placed a driving pass into the box and sophomore Mary Carreon was able to race past a Riverside defender and then one-time a shot into the back of the net.
Riverside’s best chance came early in the contest. Alyssa Mendibles sent a shot toward the lower left corner of the goal, but IVC keeper Perla Sotelo dove and was able to deflect it. The ball hit the post, but Sotelo was able to coral the ball before it went over the line. Sotelo finished with two saves in the first half and Denise Lares played the second half in goal for the Lasers and also made two saves.
Freshman Chelsea Hawkesby and sophomore Kelly Knaup also had chances to score for the Lasers. Knaup sent a high shot toward goal in the second half that Cates was able to make a save on.
“It was a good win,” IVC Coach Simon Davies said. “It was one that we really needed. I thought all the girls gave a tremendous effort, especially Mary Carreon, Kelly Knaup and Stephanie Horwitz.”
Irvine Valley plays again on Friday, traveling to Santiago Canyon for a 3 p.m. start. The match starts the second round of conference play.
10/8/2010 Lasers shut out at home by Saddleback
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team can’t buy a goal right now.
The Lasers had opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize on any of them and lost to Saddleback, 3-0, in an Orange Empire Conference match at IVC on Friday afternoon.
The win was Saddleback’s third straight. The Gauchos improved their record to 8-3-1 overall and 4-3-0 in conference.
It was Irvine Valley’s fourth straight shutout defeat. Irvine Valley’s record slipped to 3-9-0 overall and 1-6-0 in conference.
Saddleback had the better of the play in the opening half, out-shooting the Lasers, 9-2.
The Gauchos took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute when Valerie Hlozek headed in a cross from Diana Kim.
IVC keeper Denise Lares got her fingers on the header, but couldn’t stop it from rolling into the goal.
Hlozek nearly put the Gauchos up two goals shortly after, but Lares made a save on her lefty shot from close range.
IVC almost tied the game in the 42nd minute. Off a corner kick play, freshman Stephanie Horwitz headed a shot toward the Saddleback goal, but a Gaucho defender cleared the ball off the line.
Saddleback went up, 2-0, less than 30 seconds before the first half came to a close.
Hlozek scored with her left foot on a shot from a tough angle in the box off a pass from Bailey Marquez.
Irvine Valley played much more confidently in the second half and even controlled the action at times.
The Lasers looked like they might get on the board in the 69th minute when sophomore Mary Carreon got past the Saddleback defense and lifted a shot toward goal. But Saddleback keeper Kristen Egner came off her line and was able to tip and corral Carreon’s attempt.
Saddleback put the game away in the 83rd minute. Kaelyn Kaichi sent a cross from the right side across the box. IVC goalie Perla Sotelo dove to get her hands on it, but couldn’t hang on to the ball, leaving a wide open net for Saddleback’s Britney Pesch to find.
IVC plays again next Tuesday, hosting Riverside in a 3 p.m. conference contest.
10/6/2010 Women's soccer team falls at Cypress
The Irvine Valley women's soccer team played right with Cypress in the second half of Tuesday afternoon's Orange Empire Conference match.
Unfortunately for the Lasers, IVC was already down, 3-0, after Cypress scored three goals in the first 38 minutes.
Cypress went on to beat Irvine Valley, 3-0, on a rainy day at Cypress.
Irvine Valley's record slipped to 3-8-0 overall and 1-5-1 in conference.
"We gave up a couple of sloppy goals in the first half and were down, but I was proud of the way the girls kept fighting in the second half," IVC Coach Simon Davies said. "We never gave in and played tough and had some nice moments in the second half."
Freshman Chelsea Hawkesby had two shots in the second half, including one good attempt on goal.
Cypress was led by freshman forward Chelsea Braudo, who scored two goals.
Cypress improved its record to 9-0-3 overall and 5-0-2 in conference.
Irvine Valley plays again on Friday, hosting Saddleback in a conference match at 3 p.m.
9/24/2010 Lasers edged by Santa Ana
Santa Ana scored the lone goal of the match eight minutes into the second half to earn a 1-0 victory over Irvine Valley Friday afternoon in an Orange Empire Conference contest at Irvine Valley.
It was Santa Ana’s second straight shutout in conference. The team tied Cypress, 0-0, on Tuesday.
The win was Santa Ana’s first in conference and improved its record to 2-2-3 overall. The Dons improved to 1-1-1 in league play.
Irvine Valley, coming off scoring five goals in a win over Golden West on Tuesday, saw its record slip to 3-6-0 overall and 1-3-0 in conference.
Santa Ana out-shot Irvine Valley, 15-3, on the day. The Dons had a few good opportunities to score in the first half, including a short-range blast by Kenia Campos that went over the top of the goal, a shot by Angeles Martinez that was just high of going in and a shot on frame to the lower right corner by Ashley West that was saved by IVC keeper Denise Lares.
Campos took advantage of her chance early in the second half. On a free kick play, the ball was sent out wide on the right to West, who sent a cross into the box where Campos finished with a header.
Irvine Valley, which was missing its leading scorer to injury, wasn’t able to put much pressure on the Santa Ana defense. Santa Ana keeper Yvette Isais didn’t have to make any saves.
Lares finished with four saves for Irvine Valley.
IVC plays again next Tuesday in a conference match at Orange Coast at 3 p.m.
9/21/2010 Women's soccer team roughs up Golden West
The Irvine Valley women's soccer team earned its first Orange Empire Conference victory and second shutout of the season with a 5-0 win at Golden West on Tuesday.
The win improved the team's record to 3-5-0 overall and 1-2-0 in conference.
The five goals were also the most scored by the team in Coach Simon Davies' seven years with the program.
"We played really well," Davies said. "It was a big field and I thought we moved the ball around quite nicely. We are very happy with the win."
Irvine Valley led, 3-0, at halftime.
The Lasers got on the board thanks to Golden West scoring an own goal. IVC took a 2-0 lead on a goal by Sierra Myers off an assist from Arabia Ruiz.
And the Lasers went ahead, 3-0, on a goal by Kristy Krueger off a pass from Kelly Knaup.
It was Krueger's fifth goal of the season, which tied her for the team lead with Ruiz. Kathryn Daly scored both of Irvine Valley's goals in the second half on well struck free kicks.
Freshman goalie Denise Lares made two good saves in the first half to keep Golden West scoreless.
She finished with four saves overall.
IVC plays host to Santa Ana on Friday at 3 p.m.
9/14/2010 IVC plays Santiago Canyon tough
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team played Santiago Canyon tough in a 2-0 loss at home to start Orange Empire Conference play Tuesday afternoon.
Santiago Canyon, which is the defending state champion, was coming off beating Ventura – a state semifinalist last season – 5-2 last week.
“We definitely competed and had them frustrated at times,” IVC Coach Simon Davies said.
IVC didn’t do much attacking, instead focusing on trying to make things as difficult as possible for the Hawks.
The Lasers were also without their top goal scorer due to an injury.
“I was proud of how hard the girls played and I think this lets us all know that if we get everyone healthy, continue to improve and stay positive that we can do well in conference this season,” Davies said.
IVC freshman defender Kathryn Daly cleared a shot off the goal line early on to keep the game scoreless.
Santiago Canyon took a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute when Monique Cherry gathered a loose ball at the top of the box and placed a shot over IVC keeper Denise Lares.
But IVC’s defense of Daly, sophomore Allie Bertagna, sophomore Stephanie Horwitz and sophomore Madison Lamont did a nice job of keeping Santiago Canyon in check the rest of the first half.
Santiago Canyon nearly put the game out of reach early in the second half. The Hawks hit the crossbar twice with shots and Lares punched a shot over the top of the goal.
Santiago Canyon secured the victory in the 80th minute when Stacey Cervantes scored with a left-footed shot into the lower right corner of the goal.
Santiago Canyon ended up out-shooting Irvine Valley, 19-0.
And Lares made seven saves in goal for the Lasers.
Irvine Valley, which saw its record slip to 2-4-0 overall and 0-1-0 in conference, plays again on Friday at Fullerton at 3 p.m.
9/10/2010
Women's soccer team shuts out West LA
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team made it two wins in a row with a 3-0 victory over West Los Angeles in a non-conference match Friday afternoon at IVC.
It was also IVC’s first shutout of the season.
The Lasers (2-3-0) completely dominated. IVC out-shot West LA, 13-1.
IVC actually scored on its first shot of the match. Sophomore Pilar Silva picked up her first goal of the season, one-timing a shot to the lower right corner off a pass from sophomore Arabia Ruiz.
Ruiz finished the Lasers’ scoring with the next two goals.
Five minutes after Silva’s goal, Ruiz took a long pass from sophomore Mary Carreon, faked a defender and then sent a left-footed shot that beat the West LA keeper.
Ruiz’s second goal came with 15 minutes left in the contest. She raced past a defender and ran on to a pass sent into the box by freshman Chelsea Hawkesby and flicked it past the keeper with an inside-out right-footed shot.
"It is always nice to get a win," IVC Coach Simon Davies said. "The great thing is that everyone played and we played quite well at times.
"I thought we had some outstanding performances, especially from (midfielder) Kelly Knaup and (defender) Stephanie Horwitz."
9/3/2010 Lasers score two, but fall to Palomar
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team got off to a sound start, but Palomar scored two unanswered goals in the second half to earn a 4-2 victory in a non-conference contest Friday afternoon at IVC.
It was the first victory of the season for Palomar (1-2-0). Irvine Valley (0-3-0) is still searching for its first win.
The Lasers looked sharp early on. Freshman Kathryn Daly hit the post with a shot in the 13th minute.
IVC scored a goal shortly after. Daly was fouled in the box a minute later going up for a cross by sophomore forward Arabia Ruiz. Freshman midfielder Kristy Krueger took the kick and slotted it into the lower left corner of the goal for a 1-0 lead.
Palomar tied the game in the 20th minute when Alexa Green sent a pass through to Ashley Bredmann and Bredmann toed the ball past IVC freshman keeper Denise Lares.
IVC took the lead back in the 39th minute when, after getting the ball back on a deflection, Ruiz faked a defender and then fired a left-footed shot from about 25 yards that found the upper left corner of the goal.
But the lead didn’t last for long. Palomar scored two minutes later when Tessa Stark scored on a free kick from the right side.
IVC out-shot Palomar, 8-4, in the first half.
Palomar took its first lead of the game early in the second half. Six minutes into the half, Bredmann took the ball down the left side and then fed a pass to Vanessa Rivera, who one-timed a shot by Lares.
Palomar made it a two-goal lead in the 66th minute when Bredmann and Green hooked up again. Green sent a ball through to Bredmann, who on a breakaway beat Lares with a low shot.
Ruiz and sophomore defender Mary Carreon each created chances for the Lasers in the final minutes, but it wasn’t enough. IVC ended up out-shooting Palomar, 13-11.
Lares and Palomar keeper Holly McClain finished with four saves each.
Irvine Valley plays again next Tuesday, traveling to MiraCosta.
8/31/2010 Women's soccer team shows promise in opener
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team didn’t earn a win in its 2010 opener Friday afternoon at home.
But the Lasers came away with a lot of positives in a 2-1 defeat to Rio Hondo in a non-conference match.
Irvine Valley gave the Roadrunners fits throughout the contest and that was despite playing the final 49 minutes with just 10 players.
Irvine Valley had the better of the play in the opening 20 minutes, spreading the field, putting passes together and creating opportunities on goal.
Freshman Kristy Krueger had Irvine Valley’s best chance early on. Her rocket of a free kick in the ninth minute was tipped over the top of the goal by Rio Hondo keeper Nika Ma.
Rio Hondo got on the board first due to a mistake by the IVC defense in the 21st minute. Tasha Campbell was able to take control of a misplayed ball near midfield. She raced in and beat IVC keeper Denise Lares with a shot to make it a 1-0 game.
Irvine Valley was brought down to 10 players in the 41st minute when Kelly Knaup was issued a red card.
But the Lasers still battled the rest of the way.
Krueger took advantage of another free kick opportunity - five minutes into the second half to tie the score.
After Rio Hondo was called for an illegal back pass to the goalie, Carreon touched the ball on the indirect free kick just inside the box and Krueger found the top left corner of the net.
But the tie game didn’t last for long.
Rio Hondo’s Madison Maher sent a shot on goal on a free kick in the 52nd minute. Lares had trouble corralling the ball and Campbell was there to tap in what turned out to be the game-winning goal.
Lares did end up with eight saves for the Lasers, including several clutch ones in the second half.
Rio Hondo out-shot Irvine Valley, 14-6, in the contest, but 11 of those shots came in the second half when IVC was with just 10 players.
“I thought we played tough and showed some tremendous determination,” IVC Coach Simon Davies said. “We had some outstanding performances. Most of the time you would have never known we had 10 people.
“We scored a great goal and I thought we played the ball quite well at times. It is tough to lose, but I am proud of the girls. I think there is a lot we can take from this. There is a lot to build on.”