Cats just short in final four bid

The Saddleback women's soccer team saw its season end on Saturday night with a 1-0 loss against Golden West College inside the stadium in the regional finals.  The Bobcats gave up a late goal to the Rustlers in trying to get to a second straight state tournament.

Saddleback and Golden West were two of the best defensive teams in the state and the game on Saturday night played out like it was supposed to on paper.  Unfortunately for Saddleback, it was the Bobcats that came up on the short end on the scoreboard as Golden West struck for a late goal with under five minutes remaining to claim the victory.

Saddleback controlled play for most of the game and had an 18-8 advantage in total shots for the game.  However, most of the shots were from long range as the Golden West defense kept the good scoring chances to a minimum and limited the Saddleback opportunities.

Saddleback had two balls ricochet off the cross bar in the second half as they continued to throw balls at the Golden West goalkeeper, but couldn't seem to slip one behind Sierra Carter, who earned her 12^th shutout of the season.

Golden West scored when Rylee Schneider picked up a loose ball on a scramble just outside the box and scored her first goal of the season in the 85^th minute of play. 

Saddleback finishes the season 16-3-4 overall and champions of the Orange Empire Conference for a third straight season.  Golden West advances to the 3C2A State Tournament this Friday through Sunday at Saddleback Stadium.