Ian Tauer had six goals and three assists to lift the Owls into the WSC Tournament semifinals.
Ian Tauer had six goals and three assists to lift the Owls into the WSC Tournament semifinals.

Owls Advance to WSC Semis

In the Western State Conference Championship Play in Game, Citrus College grabbed a 10-9 victory over Santa Monica College to advance to the WSC Tournament semifinals.

The Owls improve to 15-11 on the year, while the Corsairs end their season at 11-13 overall.

Ian Tauer had an impressive game with six goals and three assists, while Jullian Nichols added a pair of goals. Matty Roebuck and Abram Villegas also scored in the victory.

Citrus got on the board first in with five minutes left in the first as Villegas scored on a power play off a Tauer assist.

The Corsairs matched the first-quarter goal, however, and added two more in the second to hold a 3-1 lead at halftime.

Tauer netted two of his goals in the third to help the Owls battle back to a one-point deficit, 6-5, heading into the final quarter.

The Owls came alive in the final eight minutes, scoring five goals to take over the lead and hold on. Nichols started the frame with a goal less than 90 seconds in to tie the game at 6-6 and turned around to assist a Tauer power-play goal to put the Owls back in front.

Santa Monica matched Citrus and tied the game at 8-8 with just about two-and-a-half minutes left to play, but back-to-back goals from Tauer put Citrus in front. The Corsairs struck one more time before time expired but it wasn't enough to overtake the Owls.  

Jacob Perez made nine saves in the cage to grab the win.

Citrus takes on top-seeded Cuesta College on Friday at 12:15 p.m. for a chance to play for the championship.