Women's soccer team wins first game of season
Sep 25, 2007
Freshman forward Diana Suarez scored two goals to help the Irvine Valley women's soccer team earn its first victory of the 2007 season and break a 20-match losing streak Tuesday afternoon.
Suarez scored goals in the ninth and 13th minutes and then the Lasers held on for a 2-1 victory over Orange Coast in an Orange Empire Conference game at IVC.
The Lasers had dropped their final 13 contests of the 2006 campaign and their first seven matches of this season.
“The girls played with some real heart today,” IVC Coach Simon Davies said. “They worked hard to get a win and did it. They did a lot of good things out there and really fought for it. It was great to see.”
Irvine Valley (1-7-0, 1-3-0) took a 1-0 lead in the ninth minute when Suarez scored on a line-drive shot from the top of the box. Suarez took a pass from sophomore defender Tanisha Senaratne, turned and fired a shot that beat OCC goalie Katie Johnson inside the right post.
Irvine Valley made it a 2-0 game four minutes later when Suarez scored on a tough-angled shot from the left side. Freshman forward Taylor Hoesterey started the play with a nice move to beat a defender on the left wing. She played the ball forward to Suarez, who took a few dribbles – almost to the end line – and then lofted a left-footed shot that fell over Johnson and under the crossbar into the netting at the far post.
Suarez nearly had a hat trick a few minutes later, but her shot at the top of the box on a breakaway was saved by Johnson.
Orange Coast’s best chance to score in the first half came on a free kick just steps outside of the penalty box. Loren Kortizija took the free kick and sent a short pass to Sara Appel on the right side. Appel’s shot was saved by IVC keeper Guadalupe Jimenez.
Irvine Valley out-shot Orange Coast, 6-4, in the first half.
In the second half it was the Pirates’ who were the aggressors. They out-shot IVC, 9-1, but Jimenez was there to save just about every one of them.
Orange Coast (1-6-1, 1-3-1) scored in the seventh minute of the second half when Shannon Arnold knocked in a corner kick from Kortizija.
OCC’s Teresa Warner missed wide right on a shot in the 64th minute and then Jimenez made several key saves down the stretch. Three of them were on free kicks and another came on a shot from 25 yards out by Kortizija. Her attempt from the left side looked headed for the upper right corner of the goal, but Jimenez was able to get her fingertips on the ball and knock it away.
"I was really proud of the effort," Davies said. "We got two great goals from Diana and everyone else gave it their all. That is the kind of inensity we have to show in all our games from start to finish."
Irvine Valley plays again on Friday, hosting Cypress in a conference game at 3 p.m. It is the second half of a doubleheader with the IVC men's team. The IVC men play Fullerton at 1 p.m.