SBCC was seeded No. 4 for the 18-team Southern Cal Regional women’s soccer playoffs and will host No. 13 Rio Hondo in a first-round match on Saturday at 7 p.m. in La Playa Stadium.
The Vaqueros (14-3-4) captured the second WSC North title in school history last week when Sandy Grimaldo scored a hat trick in a 3-0 win over Ventura.
Grimaldo was named WSC North Player of the Year on Tuesday and John Sisterson won Coach of the Year honors.
Kaitlyn Crooker, a first-team all-conference choice, is the No. 2 scorer in the WSC with 18 goals and five assists. She’s No. 3 in the state with eight game-winning goals. Grimaldo has nine goals and seven assists.
It’s the fifth straight playoff appearance for the Vaqueros.
Santa Barbara has won eight straight games and is 9-0 at home this season. The Vaqueros have 10 shutouts this year, including four of the last five games. They’ve outscored their opponents 25-4 during the 8-game win streak and are 12-0-3 in their last 15 games.
Goalie Karin Nordin is 11-3-4 with nine shutouts.
Rio Hondo (14-1-4) was co-champs in the Foothill Conference with San Bernardino Valley at 7-3. The Vaqueros handed San Bernardino (14-1-6) its first loss last Friday 2-0 and snapped the Wolverines’ 8-game scoreless streak. Rio Hondo and San Bernardino tied 0-0 in both meetings this year.
Rio Hondo has outscored its opponents 62-5 this year while the Vaqueros have a 53-20 advantage.
The Roadrunners are 9-0-3 in their last 12 games. Their only loss was a 1-0 decision to Orange Coast on Sept. 3. They have 15 shutouts this year, including the last three in a row, and have allowed just two goals in the last 12 games.
Janeth Acuna Gaxiola is Rio Hondo’s top scorer with 39 points (12 goals, 15 assists) and Andrea Sanchez leads in goals with 16.
You can catch all the action on live-streaming video with Ryan Graff and Sam Fielding on the call. Here’s the link to Stretch Internet: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/sbcc/.
If the Vaqueros win on Saturday, they would host a Regional semifinal game on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
