CYPRESS, CA – The No. 1-seeded Cypress College women's soccer team (17-0-4, 11-0-3 OEC) hosted their first playoff game at Ray Haas Field in five years against the No. 16 seed Mount San Antonio Mounties. The Chargers entered the playoffs undefeated, but fell short to the Mounties in penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie through 90 minutes of regulation and 30 minutes of overtime.
With standing room only and a playoff victory on the line, the afternoon began with a strong defensive presence by both sides. The Chargers' sophomore defender, Jordan Barber, made some key plays for her team to keep the Mounties off the scoreboard in the first 45 minutes of play. Both teams were off to a slow start on the offensive end with no more than four shots from either side.
To kick off the second half, Mt. SAC came out firing and the Chargers' goalkeeper, Violet Martin, was able to hold them off until the 58th minute when Mounties' sophomore midfielder, Liani Sanchez, found the back of the net. The two teams came alive and the pace of play picked up on both ends of the field. About eight minutes later, Cypress' Taleah Carter placed one in the corner of the net to tie it all up, 1-1. The remainder of regulation was filled with close plays in front of the net, but neither team able to capitalize, forcing the match into overtime.
With everything on the line, both teams competed hard in the two-fifteen overtime periods. Intensity was rising between the two squads as they were approaching their 100th minute on the field. Both teams emptied their tanks to try to give their team the lead for a playoff victory, but Martin and Mt. SAC's goalkeeper, Gabrielle Leon, held down their goals to end the match in PKs.
In penalty kicks, Leon defended her goal well, forcing two misses by the Chargers. All five Mounties were able to find the back of the net, advancing their team to the second round of the SoCal Regional, defeating the Cypress Chargers in PKs, 5-3.
The Cypress College women's soccer team will continue conference play on Tuesday, November 12th at 3:00 pm at Fullerton College.
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