Owls Can't Close In Opener at Mt. SAC
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Citrus (0-1) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Mt. San Antonio (1-0) | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Walnut, CA -- The Citrus College Women's Soccer program opened up their 2015 campaign on the road on Friday afternoon. The Owls looked strong in spots and had their fair share of chances, but ultimately couldn't close in a 1-0 loss at Mt. San Antonio College.
The Owls rattled off the opening salvo when sophomore Madison Hunt fired a shot off from 20 yards out. The ball sailed wide, but it set the tone early for Citrus. After the initial shot, the Mounties countered, but after allowing Mt. SAC to maintain possession for around five minutes, Citrus began to take control of the ball. Sophomore Zariah Silva would battle through a few defenders to earn the game's first corner midway into the first half, but Citrus' attempts would come up empty on the day.
Citrus' best early chance would came via a throw-in deep into Mountie territory, but the shot attempt by the Owls was deftly deflected by the Mt. SAC keeper, keeping the slate clear. Less than five minutes later, Mt. SAC did what Citrus couldn't and capitalized on a strong offensive possession, scoring from wait outside the box after the Owls failed to clear the ball.
In the second half, Mt. SAC seemed to pick up where they left off with a few early runs, that were thwarted by the Citrus defense. After getting put back on their heels for the first few minutes of the second frame, Citrus began once again to show some signs of life midway through. The Owls got another good opportunity around the 65th minute when Citrus drew a foul about ten feet behind the top of the box. Sophomore Joni Gener would send in a text book free kick, but freshman Nicole Graham's jumping deflection off her toe would end up just wide of the Mountie net.
The Owls would get another good chance shortly thereafter, but Mt. SAC took control of the contest over the final 15 minutes, putting the final nail in the coffin when Citrus failed to clear the ball on a Mountie corner kick, allowing another long goal.
With the loss, Citrus falls to 0-1 in the very young season. Citrus will search for it's first win next weekend when they head North up the coast to participate in the Oxnard College Seabreeze Tournament, drawing Lassen College Saturday September 5th at 10:00 AM.
