Grimaldo's hat trick gives Vaqueros WSC title

Sandy Grimaldo scored the first hat trick of the year for SBCC and the Vaqueros blanked Ventura 3-0 on Tuesday night at La Playa Stadium to earn their second WSC North women's soccer title in the last four years.

Grimaldo, a sophomore forward from Mammoth Lakes, scored in the 22nd, 30th, and 85th minutes in the seventh straight win by the Vaqueros. SBCC (13-3-4) went unbeaten in WSC play for the first time in history with a 9-0-3 record.

They're also perfect at home this year with an 8-0 mark. The Vaqueros have outscored their opponents 23-4 during the 7-game win streak.

"It's a feeling you can't describe," said Grimaldo, when asked about winning the WSC title. "There are no words."

SBCC is ranked No. 4 in Southern California by CC Soccer News. Ventura (10-4-5, 6-1-4) suffered its first conference loss and gave up more than one goal for the first time in 11 WSC games.

Grimaldo has scored four times in the last two games. She's second on the team with nine goals and seven assists for 25 points.

Grimaldo took a through ball from Kaitlyn Crooker and gave SBCC a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute on a straightaway shot from 18 yards. Five minutes later, an SBCC defender missed a clearance pass and Adrina Palacios thought she tied the game but Ventura was called for offsides.

In the 30th minute, Grimaldo took a pass from Chiara Kehl and deflected the ball off a defender. She sprinted after the slow-rolling shot and slammed it into the net for a 2-0 lead.

"The coaches have been telling me to do those runs," said Grimaldo. "It was going so slow, I saw the line and decided, I might as well kick it in."

The Vaqueros led 2-0 at intermission.

Karin Nordin made five saves to post her eighth shutout for SBCC. The freshman from Sweden prevented a handful of other chances by coming out to cut off crosses or through balls. SBCC held Ventura without a goal in two meetings this year, going 1-0-1.

"Sandy was tremendous tonight," said eighth-year coach John Sisterson. "We were waiting for this, she creates so many opportunities. She could have had five goals.

"The girls have done very well. I thought we were the best team in the conference. They had to perform tonight against a strong Ventura team. They came forward in the second half and pushed us back and it was touch-and-go for a little bit. But we defended well and got it done."

Madison Shaw delivered a pass to Grimaldo in the 85th minute and she took off on a 40-yard breakaway. She outran a defender and beat the goalie on the right side.

Crooker fired a shot off the right post in the 89th minute and her six-game scoring streak came to an end.

"Kaitlyn's doing great but it's not just about Kaitlyn, it's a team game and Sandy stepped up tonight," said Sisterson. "Karin was tremendous in goal, she dealt with everything that came in the box and kept a clean sheet. What more can you ask from a goalie?"

The Vaqueros will complete the regular season on Friday when unbeaten San Bernardino Valley (14-0-6) comes to La Playa for a nonconference game at 7:30 p.m. The Wolverines have outscored their opponents 69-6 and haven't allowed a goal in their last eight games.

The Southern Cal Regional pairings will be announced on Tuesday and SBCC is expected to get a home game on Saturday, Nov. 22.