Glendora, CA(Women’s Soccer) – The Citrus College women’s soccer team is hitting their stride at exactly the right time. With just two games left on their regular season schedule, the Lady Owls are making their first ever playoff push, and are winners of seven of their last eight games, including a 3 to 1 win over LA Mission College on Friday afternoon. Citrus out-shot Mission 28 to 8 as they improved to 13-4-3 overall.
In the first half alone the Lady Owls out-shot LA Mission 19 to 2. Citrus’ first goal came off one of their 3 corner kicks. Citrus’ Mari Montalvo sent a beautiful cross from the corner just as Amanda Costello came crashing through and headed the ball into the back of the net giving Citrus a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute.
Just six minutes later in the 28th minute the Lady Owls struck again via three passes that ended in pay dirt. As Denise Hernandez settled the ball around the 35-yard line she sent a pass down into the goalies box and at the feet of Monica Carrasco. Carrasco took the pass and sent it in the direction of Kourtney Mount who found a wide open Mari Montalvo who buried the ball into the left hand corner of the net pushing their lead to 2-0.
In the second half the Lady Owls took their foot of the gas, and Mission made them pay with a goal in the 61st minute. After a botched defensive clear, Mission’s Giselle Loera found her self all alone with nothing in between her and the goal but the goalie. With only the goalie to beat, Loera drew out Brittany Sojka and flipped the ball over her head and into the goal to close the gap at 2-1.
After another close Mission call, the Lady Owls used a counter-attack that struck gold, as their transition off another Mission shot culminated in a wide open Mari Montalvo who recorded her second goal of the day with as she showed a soft touch by placing the ball just out of the reach of the Mission goalie for a 3-1 lead.
With the win the Lady Owls improve to 8-4-3 in WSC play. Citrus has only two more regular season games left on their 2007 slate starting with their last away game of the year at LA Valley on Tuesday for a 3:00 PM match-up with the Monarchs. The Lady Owls took the first meeting at home 6-0.
Box Score