San Diego SeaLions Battled OC Waves on Father's Day. Photo Credit Aaron Jaffe

Women's Soccer News: San Diego SeaLions Defeat LA, but Drop 3 Points to Orange County Waves

WPSL Soccer News in San Diego: San Diego SeaLions played with heart this past weekend against rivals in LA and OC.  San Diego soccer fans came out strong in support of women's soccer and had a great time watching the SeaLions play great soccer.

The San Diego SeaLions (Women's Premier Soccer) took 3 of 6 possible points at home this weekend, blanking LA Premier on Saturday night before falling 2-3 in stoppage time to the OC Waves on Sunday.

On Saturday, the first half went scoreless until the 44th minute, when midfielder Sarah McTigue netted a goal to get San Diego on the board. The floodgates opened up in the second half, as the SeaLions went up two more in the 66 and 67 minutes on goals from Rosie Tantillo and Nikki Petracca respectively to give the San Diego SeaLions a 3-0 win over LA. 

Sunday afternoon saw the biggest match-up in recent Pac-South history. The new professional team in the Pac-South division, the OC Waves, traveled to San Diego in a highly anticipated battle for first place. Both teams were previously undefeated, and until Sunday, the OC Waves had zero goals against. 

The SeaLions came out strong, and set the tone immediately with a goal by Ashlin Yahr in the second minute of action. Proving that had come to play, the SeaLions scored again off of a long throw-in by Danica Carey that forward Alex Webber was able to get her head on and bury in the back of the net. In the 35th minute of play, OC forward Kristina Larsen and SeaLion goalkeeper Kaycee Gunion collided on a 50/50 ball resulting in a broken collar bone and fractured wrist for Larsen. At the end of the first half, the San Diego SeaLions were up 2-0 and were the first team to score on the OC Waves to date.

The Waves made some adjustments in the second half, including a change in formation. They came out more aggressively on the attack, immediately placing San Diego on the defensive. Gunion made some incredible saves and kept OC Waves off the board until the 72nd minute when Shannon Cross finished a shot to make the score 2-1. The strength on the field had shifted and it became obvious to fans that the SeaLions were no longer in control of the game.  A mere three minutes later, Cross scored again to even the scoreboard at two goals a piece. Now the game was tied. Fans for both teams watched with intensity to see what the final outcome would bring for these two top rated teams.

In stoppage time, the Waves were awarded a controversial penalty kick that Katrin Omardottir put away to seal the 3-2 victory over the SeaLions.

“I am extremely proud of the hard effort the team displayed this weekend,” said head coach Jen Lalor-Nielsen. “They did everything I asked of them in both games, and played with a tremendous amount of heart on Sunday. They proved that they can play with the pros, and showed that they are more than capable of beating them. Next week, we intend to do just that.”

The SeaLions head to Orange County next Saturday, June 25 for a rematch with the Waves at Orange Coast College. On Sunday, June 26 they head to La Canada, CA to play LA Premier. 

UCI Head Coach Scott Juniper was onsite for the OC Waves game and wrote up the dangers of a 2-0 halftime score.  Click here to read Juniper's comments on the San Diego SeaLions vs OC Waves game.

WPSL San Diego SeaLions Women's Soccer Team on Saturday June 18, 2011

RELATED ARTICLES: San Diego SeaLions and Women's National Team News

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The NEW Women's Soccer News editorial section on SoccerNation is sponsored by the San Diego SeaLions.  We deeply appreciate the SeaLions helping to offset the costs associated with this editorial coverage and want to acknowledge their tremendous support of women's soccer.

The SeaLions women's soccer team's home games are played at Cathedral High School on Del Mar Heights Road in San Diego.  We encourage all soccer enthusiasts to attend the games and show up for soccer.  Make your voice heard and come to the games!

WFC SeaLions one of the oldest female soccer clubs in the USA. The WPSL is a sixty-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. For more information, please email Amie Becker.