Women’s Soccer Ends Non-Conference With A Win
The Corsairs played the Allan Hancock Bulldogs at the Corsair Field last Friday. After a ten-day stretch since beating the Golden West College Rustlers, the Corsairs were lighthearted and looked confident during their pregame huddle.
Santa Monica started strong offensively, with a shot attempt by forward Erika Bautista. Shortly after, midfielder Karla Torres scored the Corsairs’ first goal in the sixth minute of the match. Corsairs’ midfielder and forward Jacibe Martinez followed up with another shot attempt a minute later.
Even with a few sloppy out-of-bounds plays, the Corsairs kept possession of the field. The Bulldogs’ goalkeeper Maya Mendek kept up defensively, with a great block on a shot attempt by Martinez.
“I was a little bit disappointed,” Head Coach Aaron Benditson said. “I felt we were better than what we showed.”
The Bulldogs tried turning the match around at the end of the first half. Bulldogs’ forward Zorah Coulibaly tried for a goal in the 40th minute, followed by a corner kick for the Corsairs with two minutes left. The Corsairs’ forward Jacky Hernandez ended the first half with another goal for Santa Monica, securing the lead 2-0.
A great play along the sidelines by Torres was blocked by Bulldogs’ midfielder Isabella Galvan. At this point, both teams were getting physical, and Bulldogs’ midfielder Ximena Hinojosa obtained a foul.
The Bulldogs’ physicality paid off, scoring a goal for the team in the 52nd minute. The Corsairs attempted a couple more goals with a corner kick by defender Jessica Narez and an offside shot by forward Valeria Romo. However, the match ended with a win for the Corsairs (2-1).
“We want to compete for a championship,” Bendiston said. “We were the champions last year. We want to... go back to back with that.”
Santa Monica begins Western State Conference play at home on Tuesday, Oct. 1 against Bakersfield College.