Mekaylla White poured in three goals in a 21-minute span of the first half for a natural hat trick that propelled SBCC to a 5-0 shutout of Moorpark on Friday in the women's soccer regular-season finale at La Playa Stadium.
It was her second hat trick in four days and her fourth in the last eight games. She scored in the 23rd minute on a rebound after a defender blocked her shot, in the 40th minute on a nice over-the-top assist from Jessica Salas and at 42:45 after a cross-field pass by Monica Pizano and an assist from Sean O'Brien.
White has seven goals in her last three games, raising her season total to 18. She leads the WSC North in goals and is 13th in the state.
The Vaqueros, who had already clinched their third straight WSC North title, improved to 12-6-3 overall and 9-1-2 in conference. Moorpark is 9-5-6 and 4-4-4.
SBCC has won four straight, outscoring those opponents 15-1, and is 8-0-2 in its last 10 games. The Vaqueros are 26-1-3 in the last 3 years of conference play.
Goalie Elizabeth Estrada and the defense posted their second straight shutout and third in four games.
It was quite different from the first meeting with Moorpark when the teams tied 2-2 on Oct. 22. White didn't play in that game at Moorpark due to a concussion.
"It feels really good, it motivates me to keep on scoring," said White of her fourth hat trick. "It gives me more faith that we can really do this, moving forward. We're so excited to win the league and go to the playoffs. Hopefully, we can win it all."
The Vaqueros outshot the Raiders 13-0 in the first half and led 3-0 at intermission. They finished with a 22-4 advantage in shots, including 14-1 in shots on goal.
"Today was a clinical performance," said coach John Sisterson. "We scored when we had chances and we kept a clean sheet. The defenders played really well and Mekaylla gets her fourth hat trick.
"She's quick, she's an athlete and she understands the game. She strikes the ball well and can also score in the air. She's an all-around good player."
O'Brien made it 4-0 with her ninth goal at 72:30. She's second on the Vaquero scoring chart with nine goals and seven assists for 25 points.
Abby McCann came off the bench and scored the final goal in the 89th minute with a half-volley off a corner kick from Salas.
"Moorpark needed a win to go into the playoffs and the girls were determined not to let that happen," said Sisterson. "We had a good training session yesterday and they were very positive in the pre-game talk. I had a feeling that they would put on a good performance today and we did."
The Vaqueros are currently No. 7 in the Southern Cal power points and the top eight teams will be at home in the first round of the So Cal Regional on Saturday, Nov. 23. SBCC will be making its 10th straight trip to the Regional playoffs.
"It took us a while to overcome some injuries and get into our stride," Sisterson noted. "We're a young team. I felt there was more to come and they've picked it up and created their own identity. We won the conference again and we're in the playoffs. I'm so proud of the ladies."
Savannah Mohatt focuses on a header. (Photo by Ken Sciallo/Sevilla Photography)
