Owls Take Round Two, Knock Off West LA 2-1

Citrus College Women's Soccer battled their way to a gritty 2-1 conference victory over West Los Angeles College on Tuesday night.

With the win, the Owls improve to 8-6-4 overall and 6-2-4 in conference play, while West LA moves to 6-7-6 overall and 4-5-3 in conference.

The intensity was high from the opening whistle, as both sides came out physical and aggressive — very reminiscent of their first meeting this season which ended in a 1-1 draw back on October 10. Citrus set the tone early, firing three shots and earning a corner in the opening five minutes. In the 9th minute, Alexia Leon pounced on a West LA turnover inside the 18-yard box and buried her fourth goal of the season to put the Owls on top. Citrus held a 1-0 lead at halftime, outshooting the Wildcats 5-3 in the opening 45 minutes.

West LA continued to apply pressure in the second half and in the 70th minute, the Wildcats found the equalizer to even the match at 1-1. But the Owls responded quickly. Moments later, Bridget Ward controlled a high ball near the right sideline in front of the West LA bench, and lofted a shot that bounced over the defense and goalkeeper for her seventh goal of the season — a highlight finish that stunned the Wildcats and electrified the Citrus sideline.

The final 15 minutes featured heavy physicality, fouls, and tense back-and-forth play as West LA pressed for another equalizer. The Owls defense held firm and cleared away multiple threats, securing the conference win as the final whistle sounded.

Both Bridget Ward and Alexia Leon each registered three shots in the match, including one shot on goal apiece. In net, Liliana Miramontes recorded three saves and battled through contact all night, absorbing multiple fouls during save attempts.

Citrus now travels to Bakersfield College this Friday, November 7 at 3 p.m. for their final road match of the regular season — a rematch of the Owls' 2-1 win over Bakersfield at home back on October 14.