Despite coming off a loss against Folsom Lake, Diablo Valley College Women’s soccer trounced Sacramento City 8-0 in their third shutout of the season, putting the team’s record at 9-4.

Early in the match, a save in the 3rd minute by goalkeeper Danielle Davis, conference leader in saves, was a needed sign for the defense to pick up their pace. After the game, Davis said that “We had a little goof up there, but we woke up in that moment, and figured out we can’t be slow because we’re playing a weaker team.” Davis has led the Big 8 conference in saves since their match against Modesto Junior College.

The Vikings took the lead in the 17th minute when defender Ava Bell hooked a free kick to midfielder Vanessa Ruvalcaba for a goal. Midfielder Savannah Christopher was the next Viking to score in the 29th minute off an assist from Ruvalcaba, her first of the season.

The team felt that one difference between Friday’s match and the Vikings previous encounter with Sac City was DVC’s emphasis on team play. During their last matchup, forward Marjan Haydaree said, “I know the last time we played this team, a lot of our goals came from more individual skills, I think this game we really played collectively as a team.”

Head coach Cailin Mullins echoed similar sentiments, adding that there was an overall improvement in the team’s ability to keep composure.

“In the last two games, we gave up a goal in the first five minutes in all four halves, and so that was something we talked about at the beginning of this game, of making sure that we came out strong in the first 10 minutes.”

Forward Alex Rodriguez scored an unassisted strike during the 33rd minute, with Haydaree using that momentum to get her own goal in an assist by forward Alex Dusauzay in the 37th minute. The final goal of the half was scored by Christopher off an assist by Haydaree, with the score standing 5-0.

In the second half, the Vikings could not be stopped. An upfield pass by Rodriguez led to Haydaree’s second goal in the 67th minute. Wanting to continue her scoring streak, Haydaree’s hat trick came from an unassisted run where she outmaneuvered the defenders and shot from the goalkeeper’s doorstep at the 78th minute. A corner kick by Ruvalcaba bounced in off the shoulder of forward Helena Contreras, landing the Vikings final goal of the game in the 86th minute.

Haydaree emphasized that though the team came up with a solid victory, the takeaway from this game was their performance.

“Mostly what we worry about is our performance, so even if we get a tough loss and perform well, we walk off the field having a good feeling, and we definitely came off today with a good feeling.”

The Viking’s next home game against Sierra College on Friday, Oct. 16.