Katherine Sheehy scored in the fourth minute on Tuesday night and No. 14 SBCC went on to stun No. 6 Ventura 3-1 in a Southern Cal Regional women's soccer semifinal at the VC Sportsplex.
Kaitlyn Saperstein beat five defenders on the right side and fed a cross to Sheehy, who gave the Vaqueros a 1-0 lead. Chloe Montano fired a 30-yard laser to the top corner in the 38th minute for a 2-0 halftime lead.
Montano delivered a high pass behind the defense in the 54th minute and Lindsey Wolfe beat the keeper from 20 yards to make it 3-0.
It was the third straight playoff win for the Vaqueros (15-6-1), who finished third in the WSC North behind co-champions Ventura (16-6-1) and Moorpark. It was also the first win in three meetings with the Pirates this year, although the Vaqueros came close in the first two games, falling 2-0 and 3-2.
"We should have beat them the first two times, so this was a long time coming," said coach John Sisterson. "I thought we were under-rated in the playoffs and I knew we could pull off some shockers."
Alejandra Camarillo made nine saves for her eighth shutout. Santa Barbara has won five straight games, including four by shutout. They've outscored their last five opponents 13-2.
The Vaqueros upset No. 3 Canyons 1-0 in the second round and No. 6 Ventura in the semifinals. They'll travel to No. 2 Santiago Canyon (21-0-1) on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a spot in the State Final 4 on the line.
Santiago Canyon has won two state titles in 2006 and 2009. The Hawks beat Chaffey 4-1 on Friday afternoon for their 10th straight win.
"We're happy to be in the Southern Cal finals," stated Sisterson. "We've been on the road for most of the playoffs, so Saturday will be another road game and we're going to try and get another upset."
The State Championships will be held at the Ventura Sportsplex on Dec. 2 and 4.
