The Irvine Valley women's soccer team was just minutes away from earning a positive result against district rival Saddleback at home on Wednesday.
The Lasers were tied, 0-0, with the Bobcats late in the contest. But Saddleback found goals in the 87th and 90th minutes to pull out a 2-0 Orange Empire Conference victory.
The win ran Saddleback's unbeaten streak to nine games.
The Bobcats, ranked tied for 13th in the state, improved their record to 9-2-3 overall and 6-0-2 in conference play.
Irvine Valley's record went to 7-7-1 overall and 2-5-1 in conference.
Friday's game had a similar feeling as the two teams entered the final minutes scoreless despite a heavy advantage for the Bobcats in total shots.
Saddleback finally broke through in the 87th minute when Anjelina Nieto scored her fifth goal of the season off a pass from Katelyn Ramirez.
The Bobcats then added an insurance goal in the final minute when Emery Simis took a free kick and beat the Laser keeper for her third goal of the season and a 2-0 lead.
Irvine Valley sophomore keeper Sydney Salamoff finished with eight saves on the day. Frehman midfielder Izzy Rodrigues, freshman forward Nikki MacDonald and sophomore forward Jordan Madison each recorded a shot for IVC.
IVC plays again next Tuesday at Santa Ana at 3 p.m.
