Gauchos stun nationally ranked Cypress

The Saddleback women's soccer team remains undefeated after a 2-0 win over Cypress College on Friday in Cypress.   The Gauchos are now 5-0-1 on the season and 1-0-1 in Orange Empire Conference play.

Saddleback entered the game having only beaten the Chargers once in 28 tries over the 14+ years of the program.  In addition, the Gauchos had never won at Cypress in 14 attempts.  Couple those trends with the fact that Cypress came into the game ranked #5 in the nation according to the NSCAA and it seemed like a potentially long day for Saddleback.

The Gauchos had other plans, scoring first in the 10^th minute when Helene Hollidge (left) drove a ball into the net off a pass from Emilee Monnig for a 1-0 advantage.  The score would remain that way until the intermission with Cypress holding a 5-4 advantage in total shots.

Saddleback cemented the game in the 72^nd minute when Breanna Taboada (right) blasted home a free kick from 25-yards out, giving the Gauchos a 2-0 lead.  It was Taboada's second goal of the season and seemingly iced the defensive battle.

Cypress held a 9-7 advantage in shots for the game but keeper Shana Leventhal (center) and the defense were up to the task.  Only two of the Cypress shots were on goal and Leventhal was flawless.

Saddleback's lone previous win against Cypress came during the 2013 season when the Gauchos beat the Chargers 3-1 at home.   Despite the lack of success, historically, Saddleback is now 2-1-1 against Cypress in the past four meetings. 

Saddleback will play again on Tuesday when it hosts Fullerton College in the home-opener of the season.  The Gauchos were scheduled to play at home on Tuesday but were forced to play on the road due to wet field conditions.  The kickoff on Tuesday is set for 3:00 PM.