by Dennis McCall
Taft Midway Driller

Taft College's soccer teams have had trouble all season finding the back of the net. Both teams seem to get plenty of opportunities but have been unable to finish.

Another factor is both teams have been playing some of the top teams in the state.

That was the case this week when the Cougar women lost to undefeated Rio Hondo at home while the men ventured south to play perennial southern California powerhouse Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga. Both of those teams rank in the top 10 in California power rankings.
For the women, who host College of the Desert next Tuesday, Rio Hondo's Sabrina Gonzalez scored the only goal of the match in the first half to drop the Cougars to 4-5. Rio Hondo pushed its record to 6-0-2.

All five Cougar losses have been 1-0.

Chaffey improved its record to 8-1-2 while the Cougar men dropped to 5-3-1 heading into today's Central Valley Conference match with rival Fresno City College. That one will be played at 3 o'clock on the Taft High soccer field at Tenth and San Emdio.

Fresno (4-4-4), like TC having an uncharacteristic slow start, lost to CVC leader West Hills-Lemoore, so both teams will come into today's match-up hungry.

The Cougars and Lemoore are both 1-0 in the conference with Fresno and Sequoias at 0-1.

After the Fresno match the Cougars will play three consecutive with teams in the northern California Big 8 conference, beginning next Tuesday when American River of Sacramento comes to town.

Since the CVC has just four soccer-playing members the conference plays three crossover matches with the Big 8.