After falling behind 2-0 early in the second half, the Pirates' women's soccer team mounted a furious comeback effort against visiting Allan Hancock Tuesday at the Sportsplex. Crystal Vargas scored to halve the deficit, and VC kept the pressure on the Bulldogs until the final whistle, but could not find the equalizer in the 2-1 setback.
Ventura (7-4-4, 2-2-2) had an excellent chance at a goal in the opening minute of play. Jillian Smith took a ball deep in the right corner and hit a crossing pass that was headed wide by Andrea Ibarra.
The Bulldogs, who had limited offensive opportunities in the game, took full advantage as they recorded a score in the 22nd minute to take a 1-0 lead.
Playing from behind, VC continued to keep the pressure on. Desire Lopez had a nice cross in the 40th minute, but there were no Pirates in front of the goal to cash in the pass. Ventura went into halftime trailing 1-0.
In the 51st minute, the Pirates almost found an equalizer. Ibarra sent a pass to the top of the box to Jessica Aguilar, who settled the ball. After a deflection by a Bulldog defender, Vargas had a chance from the left front, but her shot sailed high, much to the disappointment of the nice crowd on hand at the Sportsplex.
Six minutes later, Hancock turned a handball call just above the penalty box into a free kick goal for a 2-0 margin.
Ventura got back into the game quickly, finding the inside of the goal in the 62nd minute. Ibarra settled a ball around mid field and sent a strong pass down the right side to Vargas, who was streaking down the sideline. With two touches, the Pirate forward settled and shot, slotting the ball past the goalie and inside the far post to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The Pirates continued to keep the pressure on the Bulldogs, but could not find the equalizer in the final 30 minutes of play, ultimately falling the the 2-1 count.
VC begins the second round of Western State Conference play at home on Friday, Oct. 20 with a 5:30 pm date with Cuesta College.