An early Moorpark goal put Ventura on the offensive, on the Pirates were unable to crack the Raiders' defense, falling to a 2-0 defeat Tuesday afternoon in a battle of the top two teams in the Western State Conference. VC outshot the Raiders 20-8, but Moorpark was able to push two goals through for the win.
Moorpark got the early goal in the 5th minute, changing the complexion of the match. They were able to then concentrate defensively, and take some of the wind out of the sails of the high-powered Pirate attack.
Megan Henderson had a long shot sail high in the 8th minute, and Jennifer Orozco slotted a shot wide in the 17th. The Pirates had a series of corner kicks midway through the first half, and their best chance came in the 23rd minute when Henderson had a volley knocked away by the Moorpark goalkeeper. Perhaps the best opportunity for an equalizer came on the final play of the half when Janelle Garcia passes to Michelle Rios, whose shot sailed just over the goal before the halftime whistle.
Orozco, Janelle and Maya Antunez all continued the attack in the second half. Janelle had a centering pass that was settled by Orozco , but the shot lacked power in the 51st and Melissa Cardenas had a free kick sail high in the 52nd. Henderson had a pair of nice through balls to Janelle, but they rolled long eliminating the threat.
While the Pirates kept the threat up on offense, the Raiders would transition to the offensive end. Pirate goalie Marissa Dominguez had a pair of saves late in the second half, and the back of the VC defense turned back Raider threats, but Moorpark was able to score a second goal in the 74th minute to all but seal the match. The Pirates kept fighting, however, and in the 87th minute, a Sarah Garcia corner kick was headed off the side post by Cardenas before the final whistle.
The Pirates fall three points behind Moorpark in the conference race with one contest remaining for each team. On Friday Nov. 11 the Raiders travel to third place Santa Barbara while Ventura will host Oxnard at 6:00 pm at the VC Sportsplex. A Pirate win coupled with a Moorpark loss on Friday would give both VC and MC a share of the conference title.