Gauchos end in draw with Lasers ... again

The intradistrict rivalry between Saddleback and Irvine Valley ended in a 1-1 draw Tuesday night on the JSerra High School field, marking the second time this season that these teams have not been able to determine a winner.

It looked like there would be lots of scoring as both teams struck early. Irvine Valley was able to get on the scoreboard first just three minutes into the contest as Madisen Hammonds' direct free kick from 25-yards out deflected off the head of a Saddleback player and into the net. The Gauchos answered just seven minutes later as Jenny Kraska found Hannah Petersen (pictured #14) in front of the net and Petersen rolled the ball into the lower left corner to tie the score at 1-1. Both teams had a couple of solid scoring opportunities later in the game, with Irvine Valley getting four good shots on goal and Saddleback having seven shots on goal. The Gauchos had a corner kick hit the far post and carrom away in the first half and mis-hit a shot directly in front of the goal in the second half roll wide. Petersen had a pair of breakaways which were saved by Laser goalkeeper Amanda Rashtian.

Rashtian finished with seven saves while Saddleback's Marisa Flasco posted four saves.

This was the first year of the South Orange County College Cup challenge between these two programs, a friendly wager for a large trophy adorned with a silver cup which goes to the soccer team which wins the two-game series on the season. The teams played to a 1-1 draw last month in Irvine and then posted the same score on Tuesday night on Saddleback's temporary home field. With the series all tied, the teams went to penalty kicks to determine who would win the inaugural cup (the game officially remains a tie). Irvine Valley scored on its first, third, and fifth penalty kicks, with Desirae Santana getting the final PK to help the Lasers secure the cup. Saddleback's Jenna Becker tied the PK's at 1-1, but Saddleback's next three kicks were blocked, hit the bar, and sailed over the bar, respectively.