Bobcats get San Joaquin Delta in the semis

The Saddleback women's soccer team will face off against San Joaquin Delta College in the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Tournament Semifinals on Friday evening at 7:00 PM at American River College.  The Bobcats and Mustangs are two of the top teams in the nation.

Saddleback and San Joaquin Delta have no history in women's soccer but will get a first glimpse on Friday night.  The two squads are among the top teams in the country, according to the latest United Soccer Coaches Rankings.  In the latest round of rankings that came out on November 1, Saddleback was ranked No. 4 in the nation and San Joaquin Delta No. 5.  Since the last release, Saddleback has defeated two of the top-10 teams in the rankings, including a 2-0 win against top-ranked Santiago Canyon College on Saturday in the regional finals.

Saddleback enters the state semifinals at 19-2-3 overall.  The Bobcats finished in second place in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) and had to face the grueling challenge of beating both Cypress College and Santiago Canyon College in the regional playoffs.  The Bobcats have recorded four straight shutouts coming into the game and have tallied 15 shutouts for the season.

San Joaquin Delta is 19-3-2 overall and finished in third place in the gritty Big 8 Conference.  The Mustangs had a similar challenge, having to beat Big 8 rival Sierra College in the regional finals.  Delta has 13 shutouts for the season, including a stretch of five straight during the middle portion of the schedule.

Saddleback and San Joaquin Delta have faced three common opponents this season in Cosumnes River College, Lake Tahoe College and Santiago Canyon College.  The Bobcats defeated both Cosumnes River (3-0) and Lake Tahoe (1-0) at the Mt. San Antonio College Tournament early during the schedule and went 1-1-1 against Santiago Canyon (2-2, 0-1, 2-0).  San Joaquin Delta defeated Cosumnes River twice (3-0, 3-0), Lake Tahoe once (4-0) and lost to Santiago Canyon early in the season (1-2). 

Saddleback and San Joaquin Delta are very similar on paper.  The Bobcats are eighth in the state in scoring average (3.42) while San Joaquin Delta is second (3.83).  The two squads are equally stingy on defense, giving up just 13 goals apiece in 24 games this season (9^th). 

Saddleback and San Joaquin Delta both have dangerous threats in the offensive zone.  The Bobcats have a trio of players with 10-or-more goals in Lizbeth De Loera (16), Chloe Green (14) and Kylie Beu (11).  The Mustangs have three of their own with 10-or-more goals, including the fifth leading scorer in the state in Michaela Clark (21). 

Another thing that could make things interesting on Friday is the weather forecast, which is predicting cold and wet weather in the Sacramento area throughout the weekend.   Temperatures are never expected to get above 55 degrees at any point with nighttime temperatures dipping down into the high 30's. 

The winner of the Saddleback and San Joaquin Delta game will advance to the CCCAA state title game on Sunday at 12:00 PM.  The other semifinal game features Fresno City College (17-2-4) versus Chaffey College (21-0-2) at 4:00 PM on Friday.