Vaqueros ride two early goals to 2-1 win at Santa Monica

Sophomore midfielder Lourdes Marin-Rodriguez (Photo by PJ Heller/Sevilla Photograhy)
Sophomore midfielder Lourdes Marin-Rodriguez (Photo by PJ Heller/Sevilla Photograhy)

Sean O'Brien and Molly Branigan staked SBCC to a 2-0 lead in the first 10 minutes on Tuesday afternoon and the Vaqueros went on to knock off unbeaten Santa Monica 2-1 on the road.

Mekaylla White broke down the right side and made a great cross to O'Brien, who brought the ball down and scored from six yards out in the third minute.

Branigan converted her second direct free kick in as many games from 20 yards in the 10th minute.

The Vaqueros improved to 3-4-0 while the Corsairs fell to 3-1-2. Santa Monica was the top-ranked team in the state in power points entering the contest.

Dayli Ramos scored in the 60th minute to cut the deficit to 2-1.

"We started very, very well and Santa Monica also played well," said SBCC coach John Sisterson. "We had a strong game as a unit, both offensively and defensively."

The Vaqueros will hit the road again on Friday for a 3 p.m. game at Canyons.