No. 1 Vaqueros come alive in second half for 3-0 playoff win

SBCC scored three second-half goals on Tuesday night and the defense was its usual stingy self in a 3-0 women's soccer shutout of Orange Coast at La Playa Stadium.

The Vaqueros, seeded No. 1 in the Southern Cal Regional and ranked No. 2 in the nation, won their 19th straight game and remained undefeated at 19-0-1. The second-round Regional victory was their 12th straight shutout. They're also 10-0 at home, outscoring the opponents 36-0.

No. 8 seed Orange Coast ends its season at 12-6-5.

The Vaqueros outshot the Pirates 22-8, including 14-1 in shots on goal. It was 0-0 at the half, despite a 10-3 shot advantage and several solid chances for the Vaqueros.

"We've been in this position before, being tied 0-0 at the half," said Sheehy. "We knew we had to come out strong, just play our game and stay composed. We trusted each other. We had a lot of chances and I thought their goalie was decent."

Pirate goalie Alison Marlow made 11 saves.

SBCC took a 1-0 lead at 47:30 when Chloe Montano sent a corner kick from the left and Matalyn Perry knocked it in from close range. Katherine Sheehy was tackled in the box and Montano drilled a penalty kick into the left side for a 2-0 lead at 58:25. Montano is 7-for-7 on PKs this year.

Isabella Viana completed the scoring in the 73rd minute, taking a pass from Sheehy and tucking the ball inside the near post. Viana has 18 goals (16th in the state) and 39 points.

"We knew they were a physical team and they'd get after us," said coach John Sisterson. "We had to match them physically and we did that. The game opened up in the second half and we got more space after the first goal.

"The defense played great, only giving up eight shots and having another clean sheet."

Goalie Holly Telliard and the Vaquero defense have posted shutouts in 17 of 20 games. They've only allowed one goal in the last 17 games. SBCC has outscored its opponents 73 to 3 for the season.

The Vaqueros will host No. 4 Cerritos (20-1-1) on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Falcons beat No. 5 Chaffey 2-1 on Tuesday. In the other Southern Cal Regional final, No. 7 San Bernardino Valley will travel to No. 6 Santiago Canyon.

The two winners will move on to the CCCAA State Final Four at American River College in Sacramento on Dec. 1 & 3.