Ventura College forward Alix Tirado scored a pair of goals Tuesday night as the Pirates' women's soccer team defeated Moorpark 3-1 at the Sportsplex. Jennifer Ramirez added the third score for Ventura (12-2-3, 6-0-2) as they maintained their six point advantage over LA Pierce in the Western State Conference North Division standings.
Moorpark looked to score early as they produced a solid chance with a 20-yard shot from out front in the second minute of the game. Pirate goal keeper Kambria Haughton deflected the shot over the crossbar to keep the Raiders off the board.
VC quickly returned the favor. In the fourth minute, Salma Galvan intercepted a pass deep in the Moorpark end and sent in a centering pass from the far right side. The ball was deflected by J Ramirez to Alix Tirado, who hit the one-touch inside the left post for a quick 1-0 Ventura advantage.
The Pirates, ranked No. 12 in the latest state poll, continued to press with more scoring opportunities. In the 10th minute, Tirado made a pass to Valerie Hernandez, whose shot sailed high. Tirado had another chance five minutes late with a pair of point black shots at the net, but they were stopped by excellent saves from the Raider's goal keeper. Galvan generated another chance in the 22nd minute, taking a shot from the right sideline that sailed just over the crossbar.
The Pirates' pressure continued in the 40th minute as they had three corner kicks in succession, only to have MC turn back the offensive. A minute later, J Ramirez hit a 25-yard rocket from straight on that went through the goalie's grasp and bounced into the net for VC's second goal of the half. The Pirates went into intermission with a solid 2-0 margin.
Moorpark became more aggressive after halftime, generating a number of chances early. The Pirates continued to generate chances on the other end of the pitch, but less often that during the opening 45 minutes. In the 49th minute, a Tirado centering pass was a step too far for Julie Marcelo, and in the 67th, Tirado hit a shot off the left post before settling the rebound and slotting it wide right.
Moorpark also continued their pressure, and in the 69th minute, they converted on a shot from just outside the box, narrowing the gap to 2-1.
As the teams changed possession over the next 15 minutes of play, the tension rose with the one-goal difference on the scoreboard. In the 85th minute, Tirado eased the pressure after taking a pass from Ashley Tiscareno and slotting a score from the top right side of the box to the back of the net, just inside the far post, for a 3-1 Pirate advantage.
Ventura generated 13 shots in the game with six on goal while Moorpark had seven shots total with five being on target.
Haughton had four saves in goal.
With the victory the Pirates stretched their unbeaten streak to 11 games. They added to their conference-leading total of 20 points, and LA Pierce kept pace six points behind with a win against Hancock.
Ventura next hosts Hancock on Friday Oct. 29 with a 5:30 kickoff time at the Sportsplex. Tickets are available online at https://ventura.vbotickets.com/events.