Bobcats draw against Santiago Canyon

The Saddleback women's soccer team battled to a 0-0 draw against Santiago Canyon College on Friday inside the Saddleback Stadium.  The Bobcats are still undefeated through nine games and have moved into the top spot in the state in power points following the tie.

Saddleback and Santiago Canyon was billed as the matchup between two of the best teams in the country.  Saddleback came in ranked No. 7 in the country in the United Soccer Coaches Rankings and No. 4 in the state by the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) while Santiago Canyon was ranked No. 2 in the country and No. 1 in the state.  The game lived up to the hype, but we'll have to wait until the two teams meet again in November to determine if the polls were on or the polls were off. 

Saddleback and Santiago Canyon battled in a physical matchup on Friday, with both squads having a handful of chances.  The Bobcats outshot the Hawks 15-10 and had a 6-3 advantage in shots-on-goal, but were unable to slip one past the Santiago Canyon keeper.

Saddleback (7-0-2, 1-0-2) goalkeeper Olivia Wynn (pictured) came into the matchup somewhat untested as the Bobcats had outscored opponents 37-0 for the year, giving opponents very few opportunities.  Wynn passed the test on Friday, turning back the shots she faced and forcing Santiago Canyon (9-0-1, 3-0-1) into its first tie of the season.  The defense in front of Wynn was also superb, giving the Hawk offensive weapons very few opportunities to score.

The 0-0 tie was the second of the week for Saddleback, who also finished scoreless against an undefeated Cypress team (7-0-1, 2-0-1) earlier in the week.  Following Friday's game, Saddleback moved up to No. 1 in the state in power points…a formula used by the state for seeding purposes. 

Saddleback had some scheduling changes due to the postponement of a game last week.  The Bobcats will play three times next week, facing Golden West, Orange Coast and Fullerton over a four-day span.  Saddleback will travel to Golden West on Tuesday (3:00 PM), host Orange Coast on Wednesday (7:00 PM) and travel to Fullerton on Friday (3:00 PM).