PREP ROUNDUP : Tie Does Little to Help Irvine, Santa Margarita

The gap between second-place Irvine and first-place Santa Margarita in the Sea View League girls’ soccer standings remains because the teams played to a scoreless tie Tuesday at Santa Margarita High.

The fifth-ranked Vaqueros, three points behind the Eagles, used ball control and brilliant set-up passes to dominate the first half, outshooting the second-ranked Eagles (17-4-2, 6-0-1) nine to five.

Seven minutes into the game, forward Rise Richard narrowly missed a goal when she ripped a shot at Santa Margarita goalkeeper Ami Nezbitt. Nezbitt tipped the ball up and over the net.

Midfielder Sarah Denson had another opportunity to put the Vaqueros (14-3-4, 4-1-2) ahead with seven minutes remaining in the half. But Nezbitt made a diving save to her right.

Irvine was on the receiving end of a few lucky breaks too. On a throw-in, Santa Margarita’s Ami Aylor threw the ball directly into the net, but referees called the goal back saying the ball had not been touched.

“We lucked out a couple times,” Irvine Coach Hamid Sedehi said. “But we also had our opportunities. We need to work on finishing. They scored two goals on us in the last 10 minutes in the last game. This time we kept our cool. It was a well-balanced game.”