Four Gauchos tabbed All-OEC
The Saddleback women's soccer team had four players named to the All-Orange Empire Conference Team on Monday evening as the coaches collected at the annual post-season meeting. Dz-Rae Jara, Jessica Kron, Natally Gomez and Collette Halloran were all named to the team.
Saddleback will find out its playoff fate on Tuesday as coaches from Southern California convene to select the 19 programs that will be represented. With the Gauchos expected to make the playoffs, the coaches had some time to get some bookkeeping done and promote their players at the Orange Empire Conference meeting on Monday night.
Dz-Rae Jara and Jessica Kron were named to the first team while Natally Gomez and Collette Halloran were named to the second team. It was the second time that both Jara and Kron both made the team as both were second team selections last fall.
Jara (pictured far right) played in goal all season for the Gauchos and was spectacular. The sophomore from El Toro High School finished the season with 11 shutouts in 20 games, finishing with a 0.65 goals-against average. Jara was part of a Saddleback squad that finished the season No. 12 in the state in goals-against, allowing only 13 goals all season.
Kron (pictured second left) was another big part of the equation on the back end for Saddleback, clogging up passing lanes and making things tough on opposing forwards and strikers. The sophomore from Capistrano Valley High School finished the regular season with one goal and one assist on 13 shots.
Gomez (pictured second right) finished as the team-leader with five goals and 11 points for the season. The freshman from Dana Hills High School finished with three game-winning goals and had her biggest game of the season when she scored twice against Long Beach City College on September 5.
Halloran (pictured far left) proved to be a force on both ends, finishing the season with three goals and four assists while helping out in the defensive end. The freshman from Edison High School had the game-winning goal against Fullerton on Halloween but her biggest goal of the season came against Cypress when she tied the score at 1-1 with under five minutes remaining in the game.
Playoff seeds are expected to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.