Women's soccer team records special win
Sep 20, 2005
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer team scored two
goals in the first seven minutes and never looked back to record its
first victory on the field in the past two seasons, beating Golden
West, 4-1, in an Orange Empire Conference game at Irvine Valley on
Tuesday.
Irvine Valley finished with a record of 0-15-1 in
2004 and was 1-7-0 this season heading into Tuesday’s contest. The one
prior win for the Lasers this season came due to a forfeit by Cuyamaca.
The Irvine Valley women’s soccer program is in its second year
back after being suspended in 2002 and 2003 because of a lack of
players.
“It was a great job by all of our players today,”
second-year Irvine Valley Coach Simon Davies said after the win over
Golden West. “The girls have been working hard and really deserved
this. I was very pleased with the way they performed.”
Kathleen
Benton led the way for Irvine Valley with two goals. The first came in
the fourth minute when she took a pass from Jessica Franco just inside
midfield, made a run at the goal, beat two defenders and slipped a shot
past the Golden West goalie.
Sandy Bloomberg added a goal for
IVC three minutes later when she beat a defender to a loose ball and
then fired a left-footed shot from the middle of the penalty box that
hit off the post and went in.
Golden West got on the board in
the 17th minute when Jessica Abdou scored on a left-footed shot from
the top of the box that was just over the out-stretched hands of Irvine
Valley goalie Rachel Waters.
Irvine Valley increased its lead
early in the second half when Ana Velazquez gathered another loose ball
on the left side, and fired a shot from about 30 yards out that beat
Golden West goalie Jessica Goud.
Each team then had chances to
score. Irvine Valley’s Tanisha Senaratne hit the crossbar with a shot
and Abdou had a header that Benton kicked out off the goal line.
The
Lasers put the game away in the 77th minute when Benton mad a
nifty move to the left to get by a defender and then scored.
Irvine Valley out-shot Golden West, 16-9, in the game.
“I
got a little worried when they got to within 2-1,” Davies said. “But we
closed the game out strong. When we got that fourth goal I felt a lot
better.”
Davies said he was especially impressed
with the play of Benton and Velazquez. Benton was moved from sweeper to
an attacking midfielder for the first time this season and the strategy
worked with her scoring two goals. Velasquez was relentless as a left
side midfielder for the Lasers throughout the contest.
Golden West is still looking for its first win this season. Its record is now 0-6-0 overall.
Irvine Valley plays again on Friday, traveling to Riverside for another Orange Empire Conference game.