Irvine Valley's women's soccer team didn't get the result it wanted, but will take the 1-1 draw it earned with Orange Coast in an Orange Empire Conference match on Friday at home.
The Lasers, ranked eighth in Southern California, bounced back from an early deficit to earn the tie.
Orange Coast scored in the ninth minute, getting a goal from Rachel Meier off an assist from Devan Ellison.
The Pirates controlled the opening minutes of the contest.
Irvine Valley found its footing midway through the first half and controlled much of the possession the rest of the way.
The Lasers found an equalizer in the 40th minute as freshman forward Rosa Soto Aleman got in behind the OCC defense and scored off a pass from sophomore forward Tiana Salazar to knot the score at 1-1. The goal was Soto Aleman's team-leading seventh of the season.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the second half.
IVC had a few good chances, including shots by Soto Aleman and Salazar, but the Lasers couldn't come up with the game winner.
"We didn't come out strong enough and let the game get away from us early," IVC coach Joe Supe said. "I thought after that, we worked really hard. Our effort was there and we made a lot of good things happen. But we just didn't take enough shots. We just need a little more effort in that finishing zone."
The draw snapped a two-match win streak for Orange Coast and a three-match victory run for IVC.
Irvine Valley still remained in third place in the conference with the draw. Its record moved to 11-3-4 overall and 8-3-2 in conference.
Irvine Valley did fall four points behind Cypress for second place in the conference standings after the Chargers beat Saddleback, 3-1, on Friday.
Orange Coast's record moved to 7-7-3 overall and 5-6-2 in conference.
Irvine Valley has a bye from conference action next Tuesday, but plays one of its biggest matches of the season next Friday at home. It hosts Cypress at 3 p.m.
