Women’s Soccer: Abarca hat-trick leads LBCC to 5-1 win over El Camino

Sophomore Jennifer Abarca (Warren HS, pictured center) scored three goals in her final home game as a Viking to help lead the Long Beach City College women's soccer team to a 5-1 South Coast Conference win over visiting El Camino College in both teams' regular-season finale on Friday.

With the win, the Vikings must wait and find out if a 12-5-3 overall record and third-place finish in the SCC at 8-4-2 will earn them an at-large berth into the Southern California Regional Playoffs. Postseason seedings are expected to be announced on Tuesday.

In Friday's win, Abarca and the Vikings wasted little time getting out to an early lead. In the fifth minute, Abarca nailed a shot from 25 yards out on the right side off the pass from freshman Yasmyn Andrade (Delray, FL) to put LBCC up 1-0.

Just two minutes later, Andrade sprinted down field for a breakaway goal with the assist from sophomore Liliana Montano (Lakewood HS) to give the Vikings a commanding 2-0 advantage not even 10 minutes into the game.

Abarca added her second goal in the 22nd minute and completed the first-half hat-trick with her third goal in the 31st minute to put the game out of reach for the Warriors.

El Camino (2-15-3, 2-10-2 SCC) broke up the shutout with a goal by Diana Smith in the 37th minute and LBCC sophomore Hanna Hermannson (Stockholm, Sweden) closed out the scoring with a second-half goal in the 72nd minute.

Andrade and Montano both had two assists while sophomore Rocio Hernandez (Warren HS) added one assist.

Freshman Karen Nuno (Bellflower HS) posted two saves in goal for the Vikings over the first 84 minutes and freshman Chantel Muro (South East HS) closed out the win with a scoreless six minutes.