Orange Coast College

Huff, Johnson lead women's soccer to 1-0 playoff win over Ventura

Saturday, November 18, 2006

VENTURA - There were several games this season where OCC goalkeeper Katie Johnson kicked back and watched her teammates keep the entire game on the opponent's side of the field.
On Saturday, it was Johnson's turn to return the favor. The Pirates' netminder snagged six saves, including three top-quality scoring opportunities, enabling Coast to pull out a 1-0 win over host Ventura in the first round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs.
"Ventura really came at us early on and Katie saved the day for us," OCC head coach Kevin Smith said of Johnson. "There were a couple of 1-on-1 opportunities for them and she stepped up and kept the game scoreless early on."
After surviving the early minutes, 13th seeded OCC (15-7-1) turned in a flawless second half of play to take control away from the fourth-seeded Ventura (18-4-1). Finally, in the 80th minute, a corner kick left the foot of Melissa Weisz and onto the head of Nicole Huff, who banked the ball past Ventura's goalkeeper and into the back of the net for the game's lone goal.
"In the second half, we were able to attack them more and that got us more free kicks and corner kicks," Smith said. "We really played a patient and smart second half and after we got that goal, we threw everyone back and hung on for dear life."
With the win, the Pirates will return to action on Tuesday at Santa Monica, beginning at 7 p.m. The 12th seeded Corsairs edged fifth-seeded L.A. Pierce 1-0 on Saturday. The game will take place at John Adams Middle School, located next to the SBCC campus.