Soccer standouts aplenty

Six Orange Coast College women placed in the All-Orange Empire

Conference soccer team as chosen by the conference’s coaches earlier

this week.

For the second year in a row, sophomores Jaycee Mahler and

Fernanda Velasco earned spots on the OEC first team along with Alicia

Santiago.

Mahler, the 2001 OEC Player of the Year, finished her career as

Coast’s all-time leading scorer with 58 goals and 20 assists for 136

points. She the holds single-season record for goals (33) and points,

(75) set in 2001.

This year she netted 25 goals and 10 assists for 60 points in

leading Orange Coast (21-2-2) to the third round of the Southern

California Regional Playoffs, where they lost to Cypress, 3-1, for a

berth in the state tournament.

It was the second year in a row OCC lost to Cypress for a shot at

a state ournament berth.

When asked about her future plans, Mahler said she has spoken to

USC head coach Jim Milinder about playing for the Trojans next fall.

But she needs to receive her associate’s degree in the spring before

making any final decisions.

Velasco posted 13 goals and 11 assists for 35 points, nearly

doubling her point total of 18 from a year ago.

Santiago, a second-team selection a year ago, anchored a Coast

defense that allowed just 21 goals -- an average of .84 per game.

Sophomores Lauren Cassity and Summer Chaldu along with freshman

Sarah Ronquillo, were selected to the conference’s second team.

Chaldu was a first-team selection in 2001 and Cassity repeats as a

second-team pick.

Chaldu suffered a dislocated shoulder in Coast’s 5-1 win over

Glendale in the first round of the Regional Playoffs and valiantly

returned a week later to provide valuable defense in Coast’s 3-1 loss

to Cypress. She intercepted a centering pass on a Cypress drive late

in the first half with the score, 0-0.

Cassity moved back to her familiar defensive position this season

after playing as a forward during her freshman season.

Ronquillo, who earned All-Pacific Coast League honors as a senior

at Costa Mesa High last season, provided a spark offensively, netting

11 goals with five assists this season.

Three of her 11 goals were game-winners in the final three weeks

of the season. She scored two goals in OCC’s triumph over Glendale.

Cypress’ Randi Johns was selected Player of the Year and Santiago

Canyon’s Ian Woodhead was named Coach of the Year.

Johns and Cypress lost to Long Beach, 2-1, for the state championship.

Cypress’ 10-year women’s soccer head coach Ray Haas recently

stepped down from his coaching position citing “personal and family”

concerns. Haas led his teams to a combined 205-14-18 record and state

crowns in 1998 and 1999.