After a season-opening road swing that saw three losses and no goals to show for it, the Pasadena City College women's soccer team returned to the friendly confines of Robinson Stadium Tuesday. The Lancers players responded with an offensive explosion in a 7-goal, first half v. Victor Valley as they handed Terryn Soelberg her first win as PCC head coach, 8-0.
Juanita Diaz led the attack with the hat trick and an assist as PCC improved to 1-3 while outshooting VVC, 30-2. The goalie tandem of Stevie Mancillas (first half) and Jesua Garcia (second half) recorded the combined shutout, but had just one easy save between them as the field tilted to the Rams side for nearly the entire 90 minutes.
PCC got the scoring started in the fourth minute when Avery Romero connected on a sideline pass that was redirected by Devin Zamora for the Lancers first goal in a span of 417 minutes going back to the 2019 season. That goal was scored by PCC 2019-2020 Women's Athlete of the Year in Katy Coats, who has gone on to play and attend MSU Denver. The Lancers didn't wait but another six minutes for the next goal as Arielle Stickar carried the ball from midfield, then drove a 12-yard shot in for a 2-0 lead.
In the 18th minute, Diaz put on a dazzling display of ball control as she managed to maneuver around two defenders and then the goale to deposit a goal. At the 23-minute mark, Diaz headed in a perfectly placed corner kick by Angie Alvarado for a 4-0 advantage. Soelberg started inserting her reserves and that resulted in a 5-0 lead when Bertha Guzman ripped a 1-timer on a cross from Avery Romero in the 26th minute.
Four minutes later, Diaz slid a cross pass to Mia Bedoyan for a goal from the 15-yard line. With nine minutes still left in the first half, Diaz then capped her 3-goal performance (no hats were thrown on to the field as no fans were in attendance due to COVID-19 protocols) with a 30-yard bomb that soared into the upper net. Michaela Misik picked up the assist.
In the second half, PCC worked more on defense to prevent any Victor Valley scoring chances. The Lancers put pressure on Victor Valley goalie Corrina Gomez, but she made several great saves on quality short-range shots. In the 53rd minute, however. the Lancers scored goal #8 as Jaqueline Gonzalez launched a free kick from the 25-yard line that hit pay dirt.
"I'm so pumped by our performance," a very pleased Soelberg said. "It was a much needed win. We were organized and confident with the ball. I'm very proud of how we executed on offense and hope we can continue with this momentum."
On Friday, Sept. 10, the Lancers next play at Moorpark College. Game time is 4 p.m. PCC next plays at home on Tuesday, Sept. 14 v. Orange Coast in a 3 p.m. kickoff.