MiraCosta Upsets No. 5 Southwestern, Takes Sole Possession of First Place

October 22, 2024 – MiraCosta College's women's soccer team pulled off a thrilling 3-2 victory over No. 5 ranked Southwestern on Tuesday, securing their spot at the top of the conference standings. This win pushes the Spartans to an impressive 12-3-1 overall record and an unbeaten 11-0-1 in conference play, with just five games left before the 3C2A state playoffs.

In a high-stakes showdown between the top two teams in the conference, MiraCosta wasted no time in making their mark. Madison White opened the scoring in the 6th minute, finishing off a well-orchestrated play with assists from Shelby Maldonado and Lena Bachman, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead heading into halftime.

MiraCosta doubled their lead early in the second half when Lena Bachman scored an unassisted goal in the 52nd minute, and just three minutes later, Charley Diaz found the net after a setup from Joey Freas, making it 3-0. 

The Spartan defense, made up of Raigan Jager, Kelsey Dukes-Samala, Mylie Tinoisamoa, and Heidi Alarcon, was tremendous.  In the first 55 minutes Southwestern had very few chances to score and struggled to get possession of the ball from the Spartans.  Jager and Alarcon were steady in the center back position, serving as a formidable final line of defense. 

Southwestern, however, mounted a furious comeback. Katelyne Gonzalez got Southwestern on the board in the 60th minute, and Jenica Stell added another in the 75th minute, assisted by Yulitza Castorena. Despite the late surge, MiraCosta's defense held strong, with goalkeeper Arely Sarabia making key saves to seal the win.

With this victory, MiraCosta has four remaining conference matches and a non-conference game against Chaffey College before the playoffs. The Spartans are now focused on finishing conference strong and eyeing a deep postseason run, having proved they can compete with the best in the state