Irvine Valley falls to LA Harbor in home opener
by Irvine Valley Sports Information
Irvine Valley's women's soccer team played well in the second half, but a sluggish first half cost the Lasers in a 2-0 loss to El Camino in the 2016 season opener on Friday at home.
LA Harbor scored goals in the 32nd and 44th minutes to take a 2-0 lead.
And Irvine Valley managed just one shot in the first half.
The Lasers created a lot more chances and put pressure on Harbor for most of the final 45 minutes of the contest.
Irvine Valley took eight shots in the second half with five of them on target.
Freshman midfielder Elissa Gonzalez fired a free kick just wide of the net in the 61st minute.
A shot by Emily Rodriguez in the 63rd minute was saved by the Harbor keeper.
Another shot by Rodriguez in the 66th minute had to be knocked away by a diving save.
Irvine Valley earned a penalty kick in the 72nd minute for pushing foul in the box, but sophomore defender Evelyn Lucatero's shot was saved.
The Irvine Valley defense also played better in the second half and limited LA Harbor to just one shot.
Sophomore goalie Yesenia Pulido ended up making three saves on the day for the Lasers.
Irvine Valley gets another chance on the field on Saturday when it hosts El Camino at 1 p.m.
http://www.ivclasers.com/sports/wsoc/2016-17/releases/20160826vtsloq