The women’s soccer team defeated the Santa Rosa Junior College Bear Cubs 1-0 at home on Friday winning the Big 8 Conference Championship and advanced to the CCCAA Championship match.
CRC is the number one team in the Big 8 with a 7-0-4 record and a 12-2-6 record overall. The Hawks are tied for the 15th best team in the state with Mt. San Jacinto College from Southern California.
“It was just amazing. The adrenaline rush and it was super competitive. Everyone was on the edge,” said Freshman center defender Nichole Morris. “It’s honestly a feeling that no one else besides us could ever experience.”
CRC had a slow start in the first half and was struggling on both sides of the ball. After an own goal was almost called on CRC by an SRJC player who did a front flip throw-in, CRC stepped it up.
The Hawks were able to create more scoring opportunities in the first half, but they were unsuccessful in capitalizing on them. Possession of the ball went back and forth in the first half for both teams, but the half was left scoreless.
The match became more aggressive in the second half with several fouls being called on both teams. Freshman midfielder Brenda Jimenez got a yellow card in the second half for saying something to the referee after a Hawk got fouled by a Bear Cub and the referee didn’t call it.
“The midfielders really worked hard. I think we did one of our better games to be honest,” said Freshman right-outside midfielder Natalie Cervantes. “We really connected, we switched the ball and we held it down.”
The Hawks have played many strong second halves through the season and this game was another example of a strong second half played by CRC. The moment the tip-off happened, the Hawks were all-in offensively and defensively.
CRC’s defense did better in the second half by helping create more scoring opportunities and kept the ball on SRJC’s half of the field.
After the Bear Cubs’ goalkeeper got injured in the first half, they played their backup goalkeeper for the second half. CRC took advantage by scoring a goal in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
The intensity in the second half increased as CRC possessed the ball more and wanted to score a goal. Freshman winger Angelina Ortiz scored the winning goal by beating a Bear Cub down the line, cutting towards the middle and shooting from outside the goal box.
“I just kind of shot it and it went in and it was really just a great experience,” Ortiz said. “Running to my team is really nice.”
Ortiz has 8 goals this season and half of them were scored in conference matchups. CRC’s first CCCAA Championship matchup will be on Saturday against the West Valley College Vikings at home.
