Reno, NV - Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) Women's Soccer team picked up their first win of the season against Pacific Northwest Christian College (PNWCC), with a final score of 10-0.
The Mighty Lizards got the ball rolling early in the first half, scoring seven goals with over 20 shots on goal in the first 45 minutes. Serenity Villatora drew the goal opener of the match in the 13th minute. Villatora made a ten-yard run off the ball before receiving it, and when it came down to her, she settled herself up with her right foot and unleashed a powerful shot outside the box that was impossible for PNWCC's goalkeeper to save.
In the 14th minute, just a minute away from the goal opener, Chloe McMinn received the ball near the 18-yard box and controlled it with her right first touch, settled it with her second, and unquestionably fired a shot into the back of the net to score the second goal.
TMCC continued finding the back of the net during the first half. During the 17th minute, Soraya Dominguez, making her first appearance in a Mighty Lizard uniform, took a rocket-like shot from outside the box that struck the crossbar near the top corner.
First-year student-athletes Itzel Hernandez-Pizano, Natalie Harper and Esmeralda Machuca extended the lead in the 37th, 43rd, and 44th minutes, respectively. In the 37th minute, Hernandez-Pizano calmly tapped the ball into an open net from inside the six-yard box. Following a poor clearance by PNWCC's defense, the ball was left loose, allowing Harper to bury another one for the Lizards. Machuca finished extraordinarily well on two opportunities, with just a minute apart from each other making a shot with the inside of her right foot, where the goalkeeper had no chance to jump for the ball, and another great two-touch finish. Machuca not only scored two goals in two minutes, but also led the Mighty Lizards to 7-0 halftime lead.
During the second half, TMCC began to dominate the game, maintaining possession in every play with a dazzling, attacking style. The local team moved the ball quickly and easily through the middle, took clinical shots and scored on almost every opportunity. The midfield was anchored by Alondra Carrillo, who spread the play to both flanks. McMinn, with a natural eye for the goal, found the back of the net in the 53rd and 61st minutes, securing her first hat-trick of the season.
As the game was about to end in the 70th minute, Machuca ran in between two defenders who were inside the six-yard box, took her first touch with the outside of her right foot, and in one fluid follow-up motion, fired a shot on goal, making it hard for the goalkeeper to stop.
If the NJCAA had awards similar to the UEFA Champions League, such as "Player of the Match," McMinn and Machuca would receive it without hesitation, not only for their performance on the field but also for ending the game with fabulous hat-tricks individually.
The Women's Soccer team aims to keep their winning streak alive this Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. against North Idaho College (NIC).
