Cypress headed to women's soccer state tournament after win; Hartnell, Fresno City and host Mt. SAC also make final four

CCCAA WOMEN'S SOCCER REGIONALS
Hartnell 3, Sierra 2
Fresno City 0, Folsom Lake 0 (FCC advances on penalty kicks)
Cypress 1, Saddleback 0
Mt. San Antonio 1, Rio Hondo 1 (Mt. SAC advances on penalty kicks)

State Championship Bracket

MISSION VIEJO - Cypress women's soccer (19-1-2) faced off against Saddleback College (19-2-2) in the CCCAA Regional Final on Saturday night. The Chargers punched their ticket to the State Semi-Finals with a 1-0 win over the Bobcats in a thrilling defensive battle. The win not only sends Cypress to the next round, but it marks the 100th win for Coach Erick Hurtarte since he took over as head coach in 2014. 

Quality shots were at a premium in the Regional Final where Cypress was able to record four shots on goal compared to Saddleback's six. The lone goal of the match came off a set piece from the Cypress leading goal-scorer, Brianna Cortez, in the 45th minute of the match. Saddleback threated the Cypress defense all night, but they held strong as Siriana Gudino recorded the clean sheet. 

The 100th win for Coach Hurtarte comes in exciting fashion as the Chargers defeated conference rival, Saddleback, for the second time this season. The CCCAA State Semi-Final advancement marks the furthest the Chargers have advanced since 2014 and the most accomplished season under Hurtarte to date, though Cypress has made the playoffs in every season under his direction. 

Assistant Coach Randi Martinez said, "What makes this team special is their will to find a way. Injuries have a played a role on the team through out the season, but we have not let them effect our success." Martinez praised the defensive effort the team showed and was happy to see that multiple girls stepped up in big moments tonight. Coach Hurtarte said, "Jassmin Ortiz is our rock in the back and the heartbeat of our team."

UP NEXT: The Chargers will face-off against Fresno City College in the State Semi-Finals on Friday, December 3rd. The Chargers and Rams matched up earlier this season where Cypress came out victorious, 1-0, on September 4th. The Semi-Final match will be played at Mt. San Antonio College and the kickoff time is TBD. 

Match Highlights HERE

MT. SAC women headed to state championship after winning on PK's

WHITTIER -  For the first time in 26 years, the No. 4 Seed Mt. SAC Women's Soccer team is headed back to the California Community College Athletic Association State Championships.

"I'm happy for the women to be there for the first time since 1996." Mt. SAC Women's third-year coach Juan Sanchez said. "It was just a crazy day."

Sanchez was referring to his doubleheader day in which his men's team in the afternoon defeated Golden West, 2-0, to also advance to the state championships.

"Just looking at those young women and what they did is just amazing," Sanchez added. "I'm glad to see them shine and see the joy and all the hard work."

The last time the Mounties were in the state championships was in 1996, they were attempting to go back-to-back as they won the title the year before 1995. They also won it in 1992. The coach of those teams was retired Associate Dean/Associate Director of Athletics and Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductee Debbie Cavion.

Mt. SAC moves on to the championships with a 1-1 tie over No. 1 Seed Rio Hondo, as the Mounties advanced on Penalty Kicks, 4-3, Saturday (November 27) in the third round of the CCCAA Southern California Regionals.

Tied 3-3 in penalty kicks, Rio Hondo had a chance to win the game but missed. Freshman forward Angeles Jacobo then gave the Mounties a 4-3 lead, which was followed by a miss by Rio Hondo's Alicia Mariano and the Mounties celebrated the win.

With the victory, the Mounties' (16-2-6) unbeaten streak has reached 19, and they will host the state tourney next week (Dec. 3, 5). Mt. SAC has also won the most games in a season since 2000 when the team won 17 games.

Mt. SAC, which is seeded No. 2 South, will play No. 1 North Hartnell (20-2-2), a 3-2 winner over Sierra, in the NorCal Regional Finals Friday (Dec. 3).

The other two state semifinal teams are South No. 1 Cypress and North No. 2 Fresno CC.

This is the third time Rio Hondo and Mt. SAC have met this season. The first time was a draw in the South Coast Conference regular season, while the second time was for the SCC Tournament Championship. The Mounties won it on PKs.

Mt. SAC took the 1-0 lead in the 16th minute on a good strike from the top of the 18-yard box by Kayla Allen on an assist from midfielder Kaylee Gutierrez.

With only 10 minutes remaining in the game and the Mounties holding the 1-0 lead, the Roadrunners tied the game, 1-1, on a broken play on a cross in consequently the Mounties redirected the ball and Toni Gonzalez scored for Rio Hondo in the 80th minute.

In the penalty kicks after the two scoreless overtime periods, the four Mounties to score were Allen, Deanna Rojas, Gutierrez, and Jacobo.

It was a tense penalty kick phase of the game, which took 12 players before it was decided.

Playing her usual stellar game was Peregrina. The freshman has only allowed five goals in the last fifteen games, which includes 10 shutouts in that span. In the Rio Hondo game on Saturday, Peregrina made six saves in the 120-minute game.

(Mt. SAC Athletics)