Cats tie top-ranked Cypress

The Saddleback women's soccer team earned a 1-1 tie against Cypress College on Friday in Cypress.  The Bobcats scored in the final three minutes to draw even with a top-ranked team in the state. 

Saddleback knew it had its hands full on Friday, traveling to a Cypress team that hadn't lost a game all season and had the No. 1 ranking according to the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) State Rankings.  Making matters more challenging was a Charger defense that had surrendered only five goals for the year. 

The Bobcats and Chargers were scoreless through the opening half despite Cypress holding a 9-3 advantage in total shots.  The Chargers finally broke through 11 minutes into the second half when Itzel Ramirez beat Dublin Synnott to the right side of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 56^th minute.

Saddleback started adding pressure down the stretch and even controlled the pace at times in the second frame.  The Bobcats finally broke through with under three minutes remaining when Anjelina Nieto beat the Cypress goalkeeper to even the game at 1-1.  It was the third goal in the past two games for Nieto.

Saddleback ended up outshooting Cypress 9-6 over the final 45 minutes, including a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal. 

Saddleback is now 4-2-2 overall and 1-0-1 in Orange Empire Conference play following the tie.  The Bobcats will travel to Golden West College on Tuesday to take on the Rustlers.  Saddleback and Golden West are scheduled to start at 1:00 PM in Huntington Beach.