Women's Soccer Stuck In Offensive Slump

When the Pasadena City College women's soccer team opened the season with a school-record 6-match winning streak, the team scored at a rate of nearly three goals a game. After the first round of South Coast Conference North Division games, the Lancers are struggling to score...period.

PCC (6-3-2 overall) endured its third shutout defeat in conference play on Tuesday as Rio Hondo limited scoring chances by the host Lancers, 1-0, at Robinson Stadium. Pasadena is 0-3-2 in its last five games and winless at 0-3-1 in division play. PCC scored just twice in the five contests. The team's winless streak in conference-counting games is at 14 (0-11-3) dating back to 2015. 

"We're scuffling and we're not capitalizing on the chances we do get near the goal," said PCC head coach Reggie Rivas. "This isn't even about how hard we've played and how close are games have been. We are right there in every one of them. The players can't get discouraged and we have to continue playing with energy a full 90 minutes. Once we net a few, the confidence will be back."

With 11 minutes left, Thamara Peterson got to the ball in a scramble in front of the Rio Hondo goal, but her quick shot bolted high over the cross bar in what was the team's closest chance to scoring. Although the first-place Roadrunners (7-2-1, 4-0 in divison) only outshot PCC, 10-8, they had the majority of scoring chances.

PCC goalie Lilly Urumieh, who missed the previous five games due to injury, had a brilliant return. Twice, she made show-stopping saves. In the 41st minute, Urumieh made a diving, 1-hand stop on a wide open Natalie Magana in the box. In the 83rd minute, she robbed Madison Mader of a goal with a diving save at the goal-line. 

In the 61st minute, Rio Hondo's Mader connected for the game's lone goal. On a breakaway, Mader and Emma Contreras did a perfect give-and-go with Mader rolling a shot into the far right corner of the net. 

On Oct. 6 at Mt. San Antonio, PCC backup goalie Yulissa Macias made 11 saves but the Mounties came away with a 1-0 win. They outshot the Lancers, 19-5. Rivas said there were at least three strong scoring chances by Chloe Twitchell, Angelica De La Cruz, and Maria De La Cruz, but the second-half attempts came up empty. 

On Friday, Oct. 13, the Lancers begin a 5-game run against the SCC South Division (non-conference games for standings purposes) as they take on El Camino College at 4 p.m., immediately following the end of the men's contest between the two schools at Robinson Stadium.