SBCC women’s soccer team preparing for state final four

The Santa Barbara City College women’s soccer team is just two wins away from earning a state championship.

“It’s so exciting,” said senior goalkeeper Alex Camarillo. “We worked so hard. We’ve been out here training, every morning and every afternoon since June, so we’ve put in a lot of work.”

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The Vaqueros qualified for the program’s first ever trip to the state final four with a dramatic 1-0 win over previously undefeated Santiago Canyon on Saturday.

Playing in the Southern Cal Regional women’s soccer final in Orange, the Vaqueros scored in the 13th minute and then hung on for the win. The game included a 40-minute delay due to lightning.

“It’s amazing,” said Camarillo. “We had to beat out all the teams we lost to the first few times we played. We just watched a lot of film and we worked on our tactics and it was great to see us come back. We wanted it more and more.”

The victory was the latest in a string of upsets for the Vaqueros, who finished third place in the Western State Conference North Division.

“I feel being the underdog has been essential,” said freshman midfielder Alexa Benitez. “It’s motivated us knowing that we weren’t expected to go into the playoffs at all, and now, being in playoffs, and beating these teams, it was tough, but we connected and we’ve been together through the whole thing. I think that’s been pretty good for us.”

Prior to beating second-seeded Santiago Canyon, SBCC beat third-seeded Canyons 1-0 and sixth-seeded Ventura 3-1.

“It seems like we beat the odds,” said Benitez. “We are the 14th seed and our coaches have really pushed us through this and they told us we have the possibility and we are good enough. We’ve been motivating each other and I think that’s how we’ve been able to get through the games.”

With a trip to the final four now secure, the team is getting set to face Diablo Valley on Friday at 7 p.m. Cerritos and Folsom Lake will face-off in the opening game at 1 p.m.

The California Community College Athletic Association Women’s Soccer State Championship will be held at Ventura College.

The Vaqueros are excited about playing so close to home. In fact, they’ll play on the same field where they beat area rival Ventura just days ago in the regional semifinal.

“We really like that advantage,” said Benitez. “It’s close and we’re going to feel pretty comfortable on the field hopefully.”

Since the game will played in close promixity to Santa Barbara, the team is expecting a large group of supporters to make the short trip to the Ventura College Sportsplex.

“It’s such a good feeling,” said Camarillo. “I’ve had relatives, friends and everyone that’s played here tell me they’re all super excited for us and are rooting for us.”

Should Santa Barbara City College beat Diablo Valley, they’ll advance to the championship game, which is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 4 at 2 p.m.