Vaqueros blank No. 10 Taft 3-0

SBCC scored two goals early in the second half on Tuesday and went on to upset No. 10 Taft 3-0 in a nonconference women's soccer match at La Playa Stadium.

The Vaqueros (7-3-4) beat the Cougars (10-4-1), ranked 10th in the state and 6th Northern Cal, for the second time this year. SBCC posted a 4-1 victory on Sept. 9 at Taft.

Santa Barbara is unbeaten in its last eight matches (5-0-3). The Vaqueros outshot the visitors 28-5 for the game and 11-1 in the first half, which ended in a 0-0 tie.

Two minutes into the second half, Astrid Thiel crossed a ball to Jackie Hollmer, who headed it to Kaitlyn Crooker. Crooker lofted the ball over the goalie's head for her team-leading ninth goal and her fourth game-winner of the season.

"John (Sisterson, SBCC's coach) was upset that we hadn't picked it up in the first half," said Crooker, a sophomore from Alameda. "We should have been beating this team in the first half, we just couldn't finish. It was great to get three goals in the second half."

Two minutes later, in the 49th minute, Hollmer headed one in for a 2-0 lead off a corner kick from Chiara Kehl. The Vaqueros had 11 corners (nine in the second half) and held Taft to zero.

Hollmer scored the third goal in the 84th minute on an indirect free kick. Laura Romero touched the ball to Hollmer and she blasted it in from 11 yards out, off the crossbar and down over the line.

It was the second straight shutout by SBCC and the sixth of the year. Karin Nordin played the first 75 minutes in goal and Kasey Jensen finished up. The Vaqueros had 14 shots on-goal compared to one for Taft.

"I told our players the first half wasn't good enough," said Sisterson. "We started off slowly and we didn't take care of the ball. At halftime, we told them not to be so predictable and to go out and play with some flair. That's what they did.

"We got that early goal and followed it up quickly with another one. After that, I didn't think the result was in danger."

The Vaqueros, unbeaten in WSC North action at 3-0-3, open the second round of conference on Friday when Hancock comes to La Playa for a 7:30 p.m. game.