Women blaze Saddlebacks

In weather above 100 degrees, the LBCC women's soccer team began their 2009 pre-season with a 3-0 home victory over Saddleback on Thursday, Aug. 27.This season, head coach Alex Camargo and assistant coach Melissa Douglas have a roster of 19 players, with 14 freshmen. They hope to improve on last season's second place South Coast Conference finish when they had a 7-2-3 record.

The 90-minute match began in intense heat, causing imprecision by both teams, however it only took 7 minutes for the Vikings to score the opening goal.

Freshman midfielder Lauren Ingram, who had three assists on the afternoon, filtered the pass to freshman forward Ashlyn Bolt.

Before the 20th minute of play, Camargo sent for a substitution, bringing on freshman Michelle Mellinger, who scored the Vikings' second goal only a few minutes after making her debut as a LBCC player.

Before the end of the first half, player Alisha Tasch-Brown received the only yellow card of the game for an untimely tackle on a Saddleback player.


In the second half, LBCC returned to the field after Camargo made modifications to the starting squad. With a two-goal advantage, LBCC managed the result by making plays and connecting passes in Saddleback territory. Substitutions were made by both teams to keep fresh legs on the field and although LBCC kept Saddleback contained, the Viking defense was obligated to clear the ball over the midfield line.

Camargo, who is returning for his sixth season, is well aware of the preparation his team will need if they intend on making their 10th consecutive postseason appearance this year.

"For the most part (the team) played with a lot of heart more than with our style of play. Conditioning has a big role in the way you want to play," he said.

"As you can tell, with the other team as well, fitness is the key., That's what these first couple of games are for."


The team also participated in the Ventura College Tournament with a balance of one win and one loss. LBCC beat West Valley, 2-1, and was crushed, 9-0, by Ventura.

In their latest preseason match, the Vikings suffered their first home loss, 1-0, to Orange Coast College on Tuesday, Sept. 8.