Two Second-Half Netters Lead Hawks Past Golden West

Photo by Santiago Canyon Athletics
Photo by Santiago Canyon Athletics

Freshman forward Alyssa Moreno scored two goals in a matter of two minutes in the second half of an Orange Empire Conference (OEC) thriller on Friday afternoon as the Santiago Canyon College women's soccer team played host to the Golden West College Rustlers. The Hawks were down one score early, but three unanswered goals aided a come-from-behind victory by the final score of 3-1.

The Hawks were staring down the barrel of a one-goal deficit after the Rustlers etched the first score of the game in the seventh minute. However, the Hawks utilized a corner kick to get them back on track.

Freshman defender Aubrey Bryant, who is the primary foot for corners, planted a well-placed ball in the box that perfectly located the elevated head of sophomore midfielder Jordan Salinas. She connected and burried her fourth goal of the year. This closed out the scoring for the first half as the game entered into the second half in a one-all tie.

Marino took charge of the offense in the second half as she connected with freshman forward Samantha Aguilar for her first goal of the game. Shortly after, Marino was streaking down the far side of the pitch and corralled a perfect pass from freshman forward Rayleen Chairez for a one timer that landed in the back of the net.

The Hawks commanded the second half as the majority of the final 45 ticks was housed in Golden West territory. Bryant, sophomore defender Kiera Hanna and sophomore defender Elyse Valenzuela contributed to the successful offensive push through strong defensive prowess.

Freshman goalkeeper Grayton Normand (3-0) hauled in three saves en route to her third win of the season. Salinas and Chairez led the offense with five shots, while Marino fired off three tries; two of which finished in goal.

Release by Nicho DellaValle, Santiago Canyon Athletics