Vail’s first goal sparks Vaqueros to 1-0 upset at No. 3 Canyons

Freshman Sarah Vail scored her first goal of the year in the 32nd minute on Saturday night as No. 14 SBCC surprised No. 3 Canyons 1-0 in a first-round Southern Cal Regional women's soccer playoff game.

Vail, a defender from Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy in La Canada, got on a corner kick from Chloe Montano and forced it over the line from three yards out.

The Vaqueros (14-6-1) beat Canyons (12-4-4) for the second time this year. They knocked off the Cougars 2-1 on Sept. 27 at The Master's University.

"We knew it would be a tough battle against a physical team," said coach John Sisterson. "We started very well and got the 1-0 lead. In the second half, Josefine Von Der Burg had a great header that was saved and Katherine Sheehy shot one that went off the goalie and had to be kicked off the line by a defender.

It was the second straight playoff shutout for goalie Alejandra Camarillo and the Vaquero defense.

Canyons outshot the visitors 17-10 but the Vaqueros had nine shots on-goal compared to five for the Cougars.

SBCC advances to a second-round matchup on Tuesday at No. 6 Ventura, the WSC North co-champion, starting at 7 p.m. The Vaqueros played two close games with the Pirates, losing 2-0 in Ventura when a penalty kick was disallowed and 3-2 in Santa Barbara on Nov. 4 when they rallied from a 3-0 deficit to nearly tie their WSC North rival.

"I think it will be tough for them to beat us three times," Sisterson stated. "We're looking forward to playing them again."