An inspiring exhibition of soccer brought another victory for the Raiders Nov. 2, as they triumphed at home over the Oxnard College Condors to the tune of 4-0.
“The girls came out today. They really put things together,” said Assistant Coach Geoff Raives. “It’s probably the best they’ve looked.”
The Condors were caught off guard early on, when after just two minutes, No. 18 Alison Oliver finished a well-placed header that was played to her by midfielder Jenny Brown.
When things settled down, the next 25 minutes were relatively uneventful. Moorpark remained aggressive and was primarily attacking down the right-hand side. A combination of tight passing and aggressive wing play, although effective, was dealt with by the Condors’ defense.
Eighteen minutes in, No. 3 Sherry Ranjkesh broke down the middle and got off a shot, but it was held by the goal keeper. Marianna Garcia, No. 6, and Cassandra Mathison, No. 11, both put shots on target in soon after, but both were also gathered safely by the Condors’ keeper.
The second goal for the Raiders came in the 28 minute. No. 15 Christine Martinez curved in a corner kick that was hammered into goal by number 5 Stephanie Vilchis, who took the chance with precision when a save from the keeper rebounded back out in front of goal.
The Raiders’ aggression persisted, when less than two minutes later; Garcia delivered a masterfully placed pass into the box to pick out the snaking run of Kaija Fortuna No. 25 who placed it low to the far corner making it 3-0.
The atmosphere only intensified when Garcia went to ground in the penalty area after a hard foul. The referee immediately awarded a penalty kick but Garcia failed to convert it, and the crowd let out a shout of disappointment when her shot hit the post. However, the resilient Garcia quickly found redemption when she scored less than five minutes later, putting the final nail in the coffin with a powerful strike from the left side.
Garcia was visibly pleased with the way team played, and her individual performance, with one goal and an assist, was a solid contribution. Missing a penalty can often affect a player’s confidence, but Garcia finds it is better to just go on working hard.
“My main focus is to do it for my team, to do it for my family and to make a good name for myself here [Moorpark College],” said Garcia.
Four goals from seven shots on target is a very impressive display, according to Raives . Although there are only two games left in the season, with a few more performances like this one, and a little bit of luck, a playoff spot just might be in the cards for them.
The Raiders are currently third in the division with a record of 8-8-1 and 4-3 in WSC play and face Santa Barbara Community College at Moorpark on Tuesday Nov. 6.
