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Southwestern College’s men and women’s soccer teams hosted season openers this past week. Both teams came out victorious.
The SWC women defeated visiting Fullerton, 6-2, last Friday while the SWC men shut out Cypress, 2-0, on Tuesday.
Ladies first
Southwestern thrilled the home crowd with its first goal just two minutes into the match scored by Kaileya Magno and assisted by Daimel Patino. The Lady Jaguars led 4-0 by halftime on additional goals by Vianey Romo (assisted by Patino) at 10:30, Sophia Neri (assisted by Emily Keeley) at 19:30 and Melany Perez (unassisted) at 35:00.
The teams played to a 2-2 standoff in the second half. Southwestern took a commanding 6-0 lead on two goals by Rebecca Perez at 46:00 and 55:17 with both assists credited to Neri.
Fullerton finally broke through on the scoreboard with two late goals. Edie Pfefferkorn made it a 6-1 contest in the 74th minute with an unassisted goal; Hayden Davis competed scoring in the two-hour match at 82:00, assisted by Pfefferkorn.
The Lady Jags dominated with 24 shots and nine cornerkicks. SWC goalkeepers Samantha Gudino and Alina Aparicio combined for six saves, including four by Aparicio in 75 minutes. Gudino was credited with two saves in 15:00. Fullerton’s Noelani Sanchez made five saves on 11 shots faced.
Neri led the SWC scoring parade with one goal and two assists. Rebecca Perez logged two goals while Patino had two assists.
The Lady Jaguars next ventured to Mt. San Jacinto College for a 2-2 tie on Tuesday. Southwestern initially faced a 2-0 deficit on goals by the Lady Eagles early in the second half: Eileen Vargas (46:00) and Jalyssa Arias (48:00, assisted by Alyssa Salazar). The visitors rallied on goals very late in the match by Sophia Neri (unassisted) at 89:00 and Aubrey Thomas (assisted by Melany Perez) at 90:00.
Southwestern out-shot Mt. San Jacinto 15-10, including an 7-2 edge in the first half. The Lady Eagles scored on both their shots in the first half to take the early lead.
Both goalkeepers (Aparicio for SWC and Kimberly Estrada for MSJ) were each credited with four saves.
SWC (1-0-1) will host San Bernardino Valley on Friday at 6 p.m. in a bid to keep its unbeaten start intact. Additional home matches follow Sept. 8 (Chaffey), Sept. 11 (Imperial Valley) and Sept. 15 (San Diego City), all at 3 p.m.
On the prowl
The SWC men received goals from Luis Ernesto Navarro and Esteban Gonzalez in its season opening win.
The Jags host Orange Coast College at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4.
Photo Gallery by Karla Martinez
NWSL report: Wave completes undefeated homestand with comeback 3-2 win
San Diego Wave FC Races Past Louisville FC at Snapdragon Stadium
The San Diego Wave FC completed an undefeated three-game homestand (two wins, one tie) with a thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind win over Racing Louisville last Friday in front of a crowd of 12,220 at Snapdragon Stadium.
The Wave (12-7-3) continues to sit in the upper end of the playoff race with 39 points — good for a tie for third among the league’s eight playoff qualifiers. It gets a bit better as the Wave, tied with the Utah Royals (also 12-7-3), is just one point out of second place.
Defending NWSL champion Gotham FC continues to top the 16-team table with it 13-3-6 record and 45 standings points — five points ahead of the Washington Spirit (12-6-4, 40 points) abnd six points ahead of both the Wave and Royals.
On the downside, the Wave sits just one point ahead of the fifth place Portland Thorns (11-6-5, 38 points). The North Carolina Courage (11-8-3, 36 points) trails San Diego by three points. The Kansas City Current (10-8-4) is two points behind the Courage in seventh place. The Seattle Reign (9-8-4) continues to hold down the final playoff spot in eighth place with 31 points — two standings points ahead of the ninth place Angel City (8-5-8, 29 points).
The final order of finish is still too early to predict with eight games remaining in regular season play. It definitely gets more interesting with each passing week.
The Wave erased a two-goal deficit with a determined second-half response against Racing Louisville FC, turning the match on its head after trailing early at Snapdragon Stadium.
Louisville took control with two goals in the opening 23 minutes, as Lauren Milliet opened the scoring before Taylor Flint doubled the advantage from a set piece. The Wave began to settle as the half went on, with Mimi Van Zanten and Trinity Byars creating some danger opportunities and San Diego generating sustained pressure in the Louisville box before the break.
That pressure carried straight into the second half. Just two minutes after the restart, Byars drove forward and buried a low finish into the bottom-left corner to cut the deficit to 2-1 and spark the comeback.
From there, San Diego continued to build momentum. Kimmy Ascanio nearly found the equalizer in the 52nd minute, Byars rattled the crossbar from distance in the 65th, and Ludmila curled an effort just wide moments later as the Wave kept Louisville pinned back.
The breakthrough finally came in the 74th minute. Ludmila’s effort from a set piece was blocked, and Byars reacted first to poke home the rebound for her second goal of the night, completing back-to-back braces and bringing San Diego level at 2-2.
San Diego completed the comeback in the closing stages when captain Kenza Dali, who returned from injury and came on as a 63rd-minute substitute, scored the go-ahead goal in the 80th minute, sealing a 3-2 victory after the Wave had trailed by two goals in the first half.
The result capped an unbeaten three-game home stretch at Snapdragon Stadium for San Diego, with the Wave going 2-0-1 and scoring eight goals across the three matches.
Next on the schedule: San Diego Wave FC travels to face Seattle Reign FC at Lumen Field on Sunday, Sept. 6. The match is scheduled to kick off at 6 p.m. PT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.
Social: Twitter – @sandiegowavefc | Instagram – @sandiegowavefc | Facebook
Player Notes:
- Forward Trinity Byars scored her ninth and 10th goals of the season, the most by a Wave player in 2026.
- Midfielder Kenza Dali scored her first goal of the season, an 80th minute game-winner.
- Defender Mimi Van Zanten recorded the first assist of her professional career in the 47th minute.
- Byars became the second player in club history to score double-digit goals in a single season, joining Alex Morgan, who scored 15 in 2022.
- Byars has recorded four goals and two assists over the last two matches.
Match Notes:
- San Diego earned its first home win in NWSL play after trailing at halftime since Oct. 17, 2022, against Chicago Stars FC.
- ???????This marked the second time this season San Diego has come back from a two-goal deficit to win, after also rallying from 2-0 down at halftime to defeat Denver 3-2 on April 25.
- The Wave has scored seven goals from substitutes this season, the most of any team in the NWSL.
- San Diego recorded 32 shots in the match, tying the single-season club record (Sept. 3, 2023).
Box Score:
San Diego Wave FC 3:2 Racing Louisville FC
Scoring Summary:
LOU – Milliet (3) (Fischer, 4) 12’
LOU – Flint (5) (Wright, 2) 23’
SD – Byars (9) (Van Zanten, 1) 47’
SD – Byars (10) 76’
SD – Dali (1) 80’
Misconduct Summary:
LOU – Fischer (Caution) 57’
LOU – McMahon (Caution) 58’
SD – Hodge (Caution) 86’
SD – Barcenas (Caution) 88’
San Diego Wave FC: GK Sandra Paños, D Perle Morroni, D Kristen McNabb, D Kennedy Wesley ©, D Mimi Van Zanten, M Laila Harbert (Kenza Dali 63’), M Laurina Fazer (Kimmi Ascanio HT), M Lia Godfrey (Gia Corley 74’), F Melanie Barcenas (Gabi Portilho 90’), F Ludmila, F Trinity Byars (Adriana Leon 90’)
Unused Substitutes: GK Luisa Agudelo, D Nya Harrison, D Brooklyn Courtnall, M Jordan Fusco
Racing Louisville FC: GK Jordyn Bloomer, D Mirann Gacioch, D Arin Wright ©, D Ellie Jean, D Quincy McMahon, M Lauren Milliet (Audrey McKeen 85’), M Taylor Flint (Macey Hodge 85’), M Katie O’Kane, F Ella Hase, F Emma Sears (Taylor White 90+3’), F Kayla Fischer (Maja Lardner 71’)
Unused Substitutes: GK Maddie Prohaska, D Courtney Petersen, D Macy Phillipus, F Rachel Hill, F Sarah Webber
Stats Summary: SD / LOU
Shots: 32 / 13
Shots on Target: 10 / 3
Saves: 1 / 7
Corners: 11 / 6
Fouls: 9 / 12
Offsides: 2 / 0
Possession: 72% / 28%
Attendance: 12,220
