Offense explodes in women's soccer conference opener

In the home match of their yearly rivalry with Palomar College, the MiraCosta College women's soccer team fired four shots in the first five minutes, and never looked back en route to a 6-2 victory in their first Pacific Coast Athletic Conference - North match of the year.

Valerie Mathys finished with two goals and three assists to lead the way, while Peyton Brittain added two goals and one helper.

The Spartans came out aggressive in the match, using their energy and hustle to take control early in the league opener. MiraCosta (1-4, 1-0 PCAC) got started with the four early shots leading to a goal from Esmeralda Rodriguez, with the assist going to Mathys, in the fifth minute.

That was, however, just the beginning for Mathys, who went on to score goals of her own in the 12th minute and 78th minute while assisting on two more goals in the 34th and 62nd minutes to finish with seven points.

The goal for the Spartans in the 34th minute, which made the score 3-1, came off the foot of Brittain on her fourth shot of the first half. Brittain added another score in the 62nd minute thanks to Mathys' third and final assist, and was also credited with the assist on Mathys' goal in the 12th minute to give her a finish of five points on the day.

The remaining tally for MiraCosta came via a free kick by Bianca Gastelum from 25 yards out in the 39th minute to make it 4-1 heading into the intermission.

Overall, the Spartans had 11 shots in the first half, nine of which were on goal, and finished with 17 for the match (14 on goal).

Next up, MiraCosta will look to use their momentum in a pair of conference road matches against the College of the Desert on Friday, September 23, and San Bernardino College on Tuesday, September 27.