With three shutouts and just two goals against, Santiago Canyon College (8-0-1, 5-0-0), the defending Orange Empire Conference champions, once again lead the pack with three matches remaining in the first half of conference competition. Cypress College (7-0-3, 4-0-2) follow the Hawks in second place while Irvine Valley College (6-1-3, 3-1-1) isn't far behind in third place.
From there, Orange Coast College (5-4-1, 3-3-0) sit in fourth place ahead of Saddleback College (6-1-2, 2-1-2) in fifth place and Golden West College (4-3-2, 2-2-1) in sixth place. Next is Santa Ana College (2-5-2, 1-2-2) in seventh place with Norco College (2-7-0, 0-5-0) and Fullerton College (3-8-0, 0-6-0) tied for eighth place.
The conference leading Hawks have played two tight games in conference, edging Irvine Valley 1-0 in the OEC opener before defeating Golden West 2-1 just two games later. SCC next travels to district-rival Santa Ana before hosting Cypress on October 10 in a match that could define the standings.
Speaking of Cypress, the Chargers have also only allowed two goals, both to Fullerton in a 5-2 Cypress victory. After that, the Chargers played Golden West to a scoreless tie before back-to-back shutout wins over Santa Ana and Orange Coast. Cypress had another scoreless tie, this time with Saddleback, before winning their last match 7-0 over Norco. The Chargers have Irvine Valley next on October 7, a match that could prove to be tough with the looming Santiago Canyon match-up close behind.
Those Irvine Valley Lasers, who have allowed a conference-best one goal, would benefit most from an early upset as they sit three points behind Cypress and five points behind Santiago Canyon. The Lasers had that 1-0 loss to Santiago Canyon to open conference but bounced back with a 3-0 win at Fullerton and a 4-0 win at Golden West. After a scoreless tie with Santa Ana, the Lasers defeated Orange Coast 3-0 in their most recent match. Irvine Valley is looking at a chance to move up in the standings as they go to Cypress next before hosting district-rival Saddleback on October 10.