It's been six years since the Rio Hondo College women's soccer team made its last appearance at the state championships. After the top-seeded Roadrunners defeated No. 8 Chaffey College 2-1 in the second round of the Southern California Regional Playoffs on Tuesday night, all that stands between a return trip for Rio Hondo are the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties.
The two South Coast Conference rivals will face off on Saturday (Nov. 27) at 7 p.m. in Whittier with a spot at the 2021 California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships on the line.
Ticket prices for the CCCAA postseason game at the Rio Hondo College Soccer Complex are $12 for general admission and $8 for all identified students, faculty, staff, senior citizens age 60 and over, and children under 12 years old. Advanced ticket reservations are required and will be available from the Rio Hondo College Athletics Eventbrite page on Friday morning.
Mt. SAC, seeded No. 4 for the regionals, has been a thorn in the side of Rio Hondo's championship run this season. Saturday's contest will mark the third meeting just this month between the two squads after consecutive 0-0 ties.
On Nov. 2 in Whittier, a scoreless draw snapped a 10-game winning streak for the Roadrunners. And on Nov. 12, the two teams battled for 120 minutes before the Mounties outlasted Rio Hondo 4-2 in a penalty-kick shootout to capture the South Coast Conference Tournament championship.
But first, the Roadrunners had to get by Chaffey on Tuesday. After a scoreless opening 45 minutes of their Round 2 playoff game, freshman Alexis Macias scored twice in the second half, including the game-winner in the 86th minute, to send Rio Hondo on to the next round.
Macias currently leads Southern California in scoring with 32 goals and 75 points.
Freshman goalkeeper Daniella Marin posted seven saves for the Roadrunners.
The win improved Rio Hondo to 17-1-2 overall. Mt. SAC enters Saturday's game with a 16-2-5 record and defeated No. 12 College of the Canyons by a final score of 2-1 on Tuesday in its second-round game.
In the other SoCal regional final game, No. 2 Saddleback College (19-1-2) hosts No. 3 Cypress College (18-1-2). The CCCAA State Championships are set for Dec. 3 & 5 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut.