Cats stun top-ranked Chargers

The Saddleback women's soccer team pulled off its biggest win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Cypress College on Tuesday inside the stadium.  The Bobcats now sit alone in first place in the Orange Empire Conference.

Saddleback came into the game as underdogs on paper as Cypress was ranked No. 1 in both the state (CCCSIA) and the nation (United Soccer Coaches) entering the contest.  The Bobcats dominated from start to finish, outplaying the Chargers throughout.

Saddleback opened the scoring in the 15^th minute when Jinan Said fed a pass to Emery Simis, who threw a ball into the box that ricocheted off the goalkeepers fingertips and into the right side of the net.  It was Simis' fourth goal of the season and seemed to energize the Bobcats. 

Saddleback had an 8-3 advantage in shots in the opening half, despite Cypress having a couple of chances in the final minutes. 

The Bobcats came out hot in the second half.  Saddleback had six of the first seven shots in the half and scored another goal in the 57^th minute when Anjelina Nieto scored off a pass from Chloe Campagne.  It was Nieto's sixth goal of the season and put Cypress at a huge disadvantage.  The Bobcats put the final nail in the coffin in the 89^th minute when Nieto connected a second time off a beautiful feed from Jinan Said.  It was Nieto's third goal in the past two games and tier her with Said for the team lead in goals.

Saddleback finished with a 17-9 advantage in total shots and an 11-5 advantage in shots-on-goal.

Saddleback is now 10-2-3 overall and 7-0-2 in Orange Empire Conference (OEC) play following the win.  The Bobcats sit alone in first place while Cypress dropped all the way to third place with the loss.

Saddleback also extended its unbeaten streak to 10 games with the win.  It was also the fourth straight shutout for the Bobcats, who have now gone 413:18 without giving up a goal.   It was the eighth shutout of the season for Saddleback, who started Dunblin Synnott in goal and replaced her with Gloria Gomez in the 37th minute.  The duo combined for four saves.  

Saddleback will try to extend its unbeaten streak on Friday when it hosts Golden West College.  The Bobcats and Rustlers are scheduled to start at 1:00 PM inside the stadium as part of a double-header, with the men playing at 3:00 PM.