OCC Ties Up No. 1 Cypress in Soccer

Just by looking at the players as they met at midfield it was easy to tell who felt better about the 1-1 tie between Orange Coast and Cypress in an Orange Empire Conference women’s soccer game Friday.

Cypress, ranked No. 1 in the state, appeared stunned at the outcome. The players mostly stood around in disbelief. The tie was the first blemish on the Chargers’ record, which is 12-0-1, 6-0-1.

On the other side, Orange Coast’s players were elated at the outcome. The Pirates, ranked seventh in the state, had lost to Cypress, 3-1, earlier this season.

“We just feel like this is a win,” OCC Coach Barbara Bond said. “With all our injuries and freshmen, we’re happy with the outcome.”

Cypress’ goal came in the 23rd minute of the first half when sophomore Colby Morgan drilled a penalty kick into the left corner past goalkeeper Kim Rudloff. There was hardly time to celebrate, though.

About a minute later, OCC’s Abbie Erickson, a freshman, was able to kick the ball just inside the right post after Cypress goalkeeper Jessica Lubman came out in an effort to get the ball.

The Cypress bench, led by assistant coach Tino Younger, yelled for an offside call. The referee checked again with the linesman, who let the goal stand.

Cypress grew more frustrated at the end of the half. The Chargers were setting up a free kick from the right side just outside the penalty box when time expired.

Orange Coast picked up the attack early in the second half but failed on its only clear shot.

Cypress started to pass better as the half progressed and dominated the final 10 minutes. The Chargers’ best chance came when Vedda Desatoff got free on the left side and got off a sliding shot that rolled just wide on the right side.

Despite the tie, Cypress has a clear path to the conference championship, with three games left. Orange Coast is 12-2-3, 5-1-1, and in second place.