Penalty Kicks Decide SCC Women's Soccer Tournament Crown For Mt. SAC

It went to penalty kicks in the first-ever South Coast Conference Tournament championship game on Nov. 12. And it was Mt. San Antonio College, the #3 seed, that got the best of the PK session, 4-2, to capture the SCC Tournament title over #1 Rio Hondo after the teams played to a 0-0 tie in regulation at El Camino College. Mt. SAC earned an automatic playoff qualifier for its efforts.

An all-defensive affair in the 90 minutes of play, both Mt. SAC goalie Leila Peregrina and Rio Hondo netminder Daniella Marin each made four saves.

In the penalty shot session, a best-of-5 attempts, the Mounties took a 2-1 lead on Fatima Arnold's score. Peregrina then made a huge save on Roadrunners' second shooter Camila Garcia. Mt. SAC's Deanna Rojas and RHC's Jackie Marin traded goals before Karissa Vela gave Mt. San Antonio a commanding lead with a goal to make it 4-2. Rio Hondo missed the next attempt to clinch the title for the Mounties.

Rio Hondo (15-1-2) played the tourney without the services of Alexis Macias, the leading scorer in the SoCal Region with 30 goals, who was out with an injury. However, Macias did play in the first meeting v. Mt. SAC on Nov. 2, a game that also ended in a 0-0 tie. 

Mt. San Antonio (14-2-5) knocked off both conference division champions in Rio Hondo (North champion) and in defeating South champ El Camino, 2-0, in the tourney semifinals on Nov. 9. Vela scored in the 67th minute, then fed Rojas for an insurance goal with five minutes left. El Camino (9-8-2) is the conference's other automatic qualifier due to the tourney rules that the division champion opposite of the tournament champion gets the playoff spot.

The Mounties are on a 16-match unbeaten streak going into the Southern California Regional Playoffs. 

Third Place Final--Long Beach City 1, El Camino 0: Allison Rose Veloz scored her 20th goal of the season early in the 11th minute for the game's only goal as the Vikings defense shut down the Warriors' offense without a shot at goal (four shots blocked or wide). 

Fifth Place Final--Cerritos by forfeit over Compton: The Falcons were shut out in the first round by Long Beach, 2-0, then didn't get the chance to play this contest as the Tartars did not have enough healthy players to play.

Seventh Place Final--LA Harbor 1, Pasadena City 0: The two teams fought it out until the Seahawks Gisela Cruz curled a perfectly placed corner kick over the head of PCC goalie Stevie Mancillas in the 90th minute to give Harbor the victory.

Ninth Place Final--Los Angeles City 3, East Los Angeles 1: In 15 previous games, ELAC had been blanked on the scoreboard. But in the Huskies' season finale, Kimberly Romero reached the net for not only the team's first goal of the season, but to take a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute of this place game. LA City tied it five minutes into the second half on a goal by Vivika Marinero. In the 60th minute, Jacky Hernandez assisted on Isabell Estrada's game-winning goal and she scored an insurance goal. LACC finished its first-ever season in women's soccer with a victory.

FINAL SCC TOURNAMENT STANDINGS

1. Mt. San Antonio
2. Rio Hondo
3. Long Beach 
4. El Camino
5. Cerritos
6. Compton
7. LA Harbor
8. Pasadena 
9. LA City
10. East LA