Bobcats just short in final four bid

The Saddleback women's soccer season came to an end on Saturday night with a 1-0 loss to Cypress College inside the Saddleback stadium.  The Bobcats outshot the Chargers but couldn't put away a goal in finishing their most successful season in program history.

Saddleback finished 19-2-2, breaking a variety of team records.  They went further in the playoffs than any team in program history.  They recorded more wins. They scored more goals.  They recorded more shutouts.  Unfortunately, one goal was left on the table last night after Cypress advanced to the state tournament with the win.

Saddleback and Cypress were very evenly matched.  The Bobcats controlled the pace for most of the game with their speed.  The Chargers countered with great defensive alignment, solid goalkeeping and impeccable timing. 

Cypress took the lead when Briana Cortez took advantage of a free kick from just outside the box after a Saddleback player had been whistled for a hand ball in the final seconds of the opening half.  The leading scorer for the Chargers proceeded to fire a laser beam into the right side of the net, giving Cypress a 1-0 halftime lead in what would end being the only goal of the game.

The second half saw more of the same, as Saddleback continued to pressure while Cypress used savvy tactics to salt away the game.  The Chargers took every opportunity to kick balls out of bounds and made close to 25 substitutions, 15 of which came in the second half alone.  In the end, the Bobcats couldn't find the tying goal and Cypress earned a berth in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Tournament this coming weekend.

Saddleback outshot Cypress 16-7 for the game, with a 6-4 advantage in shots on goal.  The Bobcats were whistled for 18 fouls and two yellow cards in what was a very physical game, while Cypress was flagged 12 times with two yellow cards of their own. 

Congrats to the Bobcats on an exciting and historic season.  We'll see you against next fall.