The Irvine Valley women's soccer team finished the non-conference part of its schedule with a 4-0 loss to Taft on Tuesday afternoon at the OC Great Park.
The Lasers saw their record slip to 1-6-1 overall, while Taft improved to 6-1-0.
Irvine Valley begins Orange Empire Conference play next Tuesday on the road at Cypress, which is ranked No. 1 in the state, at 3 p.m.
Taft, ranked 15th in the state, got off to a quick start on Tuesday at the Great Park.
On a ball played through in the 11th minute, Jennifer Vera beat IVC keeper Leah Maris with a shot.
The Cougars made it a 2-0 game three minutes later. Vera scored again. She intercepted a pass, beat a defender and then fired a shot into the back of the net.
Taft went up, 3-0, in the 21st minute when Ashley Marquez scored off a left-footed shot on an assist by Sarai Bocanegra.
Shots by freshman defender Kailey Earl were IVC's best chances in the first half. She hit the crossbar on a pair of chances late in the half - one came on a long free-kick.
In the second half, freshman defender Julia Butz had a pair of shots early and freshman forward Ashley Arribas missed wide with a shot.
But Taft put the match out of reach with a goal by Juliet Garcia in the 67th minute.
Neither team had many opportunities after that.
Maris finished with three saves for Irvine Valley.
Natalia Navarro and Katalina Ferguson combined for the shutout in goal for the Cougars.
