Coats' Shooting Gallery Helps Women's Soccer To 1st Win

Katy Coats never stopped shooting in Pasadena City College's women's soccer game against visiting Compton on Tuesday. The freshman forward used her right leg to bombard Compton goalie Rosalyn Ascencio and her surrounding defenders. She shot from everywhere, creating a bevy of scoring chances. But for the game's first 67 minutes, Ascencio stoned Coats with some brilliant stops, while other attempts were near misses wide and high of the posts and crossbar.

But in in the 68th minute, Coats took a pass from Erica Perez and entered the right side of the goalie box before delivering a blast from 10 yards out to finally break the scoreless deadlock. In the 83rd minute, she added one more for good measure, rifling a drive from 28 yards out into the upper net. It was Coats' staggering 18 shots on goal that helped PCC record its first win of the 2018 season and give head coach Francisco Cantero his first Lancers coaching win. 

Overall, Pasadena completely dominated the South Coast Conference crossover contest, outshooting Compton, 31-5. Most of Coats shots were quality attempts that were labeled for goals, especially a series of attempts in the game's opening 10 minutes. 

The Lancers improved to 1-7-3 while the Tartars dropped to 3-9. PCC ended a 6-game losing streak.

Coats leads the SCC North Division in scoring (22 points) and goals with 10. She has been a part of all 12 Lancers goals this season. She scored late goals to secure ties in three non-conference games and against Compton picked up her first game-winning goal. Her first goal v. Compton ended a span of 270 minutes (the length of exactly three games) that the team went scoreless. 

Coats is the first Lancer since Sandra Ambrosio (11) in 2015 to net at least 10 goals in a season. The Maranatha High grad accomplished the feat in only 11 games so far this year.

PCC goalie Samantha Martinez only had to make three saves for her first shutout. In the 83rd minute, Martinez made a big save on Compton's Kelsea Styron, who perfectly placed a back-to-the-goal header that Martinez snagged right at the goal-line. 

Besides Coats, Alexxis Molinar and Yulissa Macias controlled the middle of the field for PCC and along with Amanda Avila were defensive stalwarts. Offensively, Perez, Selena Macias Farias, Ashley Rivera, and Sophia Noriega frequently controlled the ball in Compton's territory and set up Coats for several scoring opportunities. 

For Compton, Ascencio was a star with 17 saves as she prevented the game from becoming a Lancers' blowout.

PCC now has to play at the state and nation's No. 1 team--Cerritos College--on Friday, Oct. 19 at 2 p.m.