O’Brien scores two late goals in 2-0 win at Hancock

Freshman forward Sean O'Brien scored in the 78th and 89th minutes on Friday, leading SBCC to a 2-0 women's soccer shutout of Hancock in Santa Maria.

The Vaqueros (9-6-3, 6-1-2) moved back into first place in the tight WSC North race, one point ahead of Ventura (6-2-1) and Cuesta (6-3-1). Hancock fell to 7-7-6 and 3-4-3.

O'Brien took a pass from Elin Hedstroem at 77:45 to make it 1-0. She scored again at 88:20. O'Brien, a transfer from St. Mary's College, is second on the team with seven goals.

The Vaqueros outshot the Bulldogs 17-5 with nine shots on-goal.

"It took us some time to adjust to the uneven grass surface but we were on the front foot from the whistle and tested the keeper a number of times," said SBCC coach John Sisterson. "We kept it up in the second half and I felt it was only a matter of time before we got the breakthrough.

"On the second goal, Sean dribbled around three players and smashed the ball past the keeper from a difficult angle. It was a good result in a challenging game."

The Vaqueros will travel to Ventura for a first-place showdown on Sunday at 6 p.m.