In their third consecutive win, Diablo Valley College women’s soccer outmatched American River College in a 3-0 shutout, with their record now standing at 8-2.

Though there were no goals within the first half, the Vikings defense was a key factor throughout the game, with goalkeeper Danielle Davis having several close call saves. Davis continues to lead the Big 8 conference in saves by a goalkeeper with a total of 46.

When asked about the Vikings’ defensive strengths during the match, Davis said that they were playing as a cohesive group, much more than in previous games.

“Towards the defensive side, it’s our pressure, cover, balance, we work on it all the time, being there for each other and making sure we have each other’s backs.”

One aspect that head coach Cailin Mullins had praise for was the teams’ ability to move the ball upfield towards the offensive end.

“We’ve got some players that are very good with the ball at their feet, and (can) find the open player. We try to play possession soccer and get the ball to our goal scorers.”

During halftime, Mullins told the team that “we’ve gotta go out there and take it to them, it was pretty clear that our attacking players were better than their defending players, and we have to highlight that.”

The Vikings did just that. Midfielder Vanessa Ruvalcaba scored off a free kick in the 54th minute, beginning the Vikings offensive reign early in the second half. After another save by Davis in the 55th minute, midfielder Savannah Christopher passed the ball upfield to forward Marjan Haydaree who swiftly scored, now the second leading scorer in their conference. Following this momentum, their final goal came moments later in the 67th minute when Haydaree assisted forward Alex Dusauzay.

Though the Vikings emerged victorious, Haydaree said there were parts that should be improved upon, but she feels that overall they’ve come a long way since the beginning of the season.

“Our last one-third and the finishing (of the game) could have been better, individually I think, but we did really well building the play, and playing more together, especially from our past games.”

The Vikings next game will be at Santa Rosa Junior College on Friday, Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m.