Irvine Valley's women's soccer team recorded its second shutout in a row to start the season.
Behind the continued stellar work of sophomore defensive anchors Marissa Perez and Christina Anderson, the Lasers beat Palomar, 2-0, at home on Tuesday afternoon.
The Lasers defeated MiraCosta, 3-0, last Friday to open the year.
"I wish we would have scored a few more goals," IVC coach Joe Supe said of Tuesday's performance. "But I thought we did a fantastic job defending and keeping everything organized. Marissa and Christina were fantastic. Overall, I was really happy with the result."
Irvine Valley's defense was tested early on. The Comets, who were playing in their 2015 opening match, put lots of pressure on Irvine Valley in the opening minutes.
Grace Busby and Samantha Swanson each created chances early on. Busby's shot in the seventh minute went wide.
IVC freshman Rebecca Trejo had to make a save on another Palomar attempt.
"The first 10 to 15 minutes we were pinned against the back," Supe said. "We needed to move the ball faster. Once we straightened things out, we were OK. From that point on, it was our match."
As the Lasers settled in, they started to develop their own chances the other way.
A lot of it started with the insertion into the game of freshman forward Brenda Chopin midway through the first half.
Chopin set up both of Irvine Valley's goals in the first half.
"We saw some really good stuff from players that came in like Brenda," Supe said. "She is a very good player and an aggressive player. With her and Lexi (Benedict) and Crystal and Johana up front, we will score some goals."
Chopin sent a cross in from the right side on a corner kick that found its way into the bos and on to the foot of freshman forward Alexandra Benedict, who scored in the 21st minute.
Within two minutes, the Lasers were on the board again.
Chopin's cross, again from the right side, was deflected to sophomore forward Crystal Lefebvre, who headed it into the back of the net.
It was Lefebvre's second goal already this season.
Benedict, Perez and Chopin each had solid chances in the final minutes of the first half.
But the score went to halftime, 2-0.
And it stayed that way through the rest of the match. IVC controlled play in the second half. Freshman forward Johana Abarca had a couple of opportunities, including a try on a header far post that went wide.
Trejo and sophomore Herminia Verduzco shared time in goal with Trejo earning the win after playing the first 60 minutes. Trejo made two saves and Verduzco didn't have to make a save in goal.
Goalie Valentina Zito made seven saves on the day for the Comets.
Irvine Valley will play its third home match of the season on Friday. The Lasers will host three-time defending state champion Cerritos at 4 p.m.
