The Vaqueros clinched the Western State Conference Championship and remain undefeated in conference play with a 5-2 win over Oxnard College on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
Cara Christopherson scored two goals and added an assist in the victory. Alyssa Placido added two goals of her own, pushing her team-leading total to 15 on the season. Placido extended her goal streak to four games. Said coach Alex Zermeno, "Huge shout out to our front five players who have been scoring consistently, especially Cara (9 goals, 7 assists for 25 total points) and Alyssa (21 total points) who lead the league in points during conference play."
Kacey Renga contributed four assists in the game, giving her 14 for the year. The final goal came from Maddison Dodson, her ninth of the year. The versatile Carolina Esparza recorded her third win as a goalkeeper, stopping six shots.
The Santa Barbara women improved to 10-0-1 against conference opponents, and 15-2-3 overall. Their last defeat occurred on Sep. 10 against Pasadena City College. The Vaqueros are averaging 2.5 goals per game while surrendering an average of just 1.63. They have also been efficient with their shots, scoring on 58.8% of their attempts on goal.
"This team is something special, they have worked so hard to get to this point in the season and I can't be more proud of them," said Zermeno. "I would also like to thank everyone who's been a part of this journey with us."
Director of Athletics, LaDeane Hansten, added, "Coach Zermeno and his staff are doing absolutely outstanding work. Their passion and dedication to the success of their student athletes on a daily basis makes all of us at SBCC incredibly proud. Congratulations to BOTH teams on their successful capture of the WSC titles this year! Go Vaqs!"
The final game of the regular season is v. LA Pierce at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15, at La Playa Stadium. Come out show your support!
