Despite nearly a dozen shots on goal and intense play, College of the Canyons women’s soccer fell in its home opener to the Santa Barbara Vaqueros.  Santa Barbara blanked COC, 2-0, on Tuesday with a solid counter-attack and an unscathed defense.   The Cougars (3-2) had their chances but just had one of those days where the goal was sealed off. Santa Barbara goalkeeper Anna Kirk was the biggest headache for COC and erased every shot on goal as she finished with 10 saves on the day.  The Cougars ramped up the energy all game and no matter what deficit they faced, coach Justin Lundin’s team fought for every play and 50/50 ball for all 90 minutes.  College of the Canyons midfielder Leyla Goodman (12) passes a ball upfield during Tuesday’s matchup against Santa Barbara City College at COC. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. “I’m very happy with the way we played overall,” Lundin said. “We started off a little bit nervy but we possessed well, we had good build-ups and we created a lot of chances. We had four one-on-ones with the goalkeeper, a penalty kick. We just have to do a better job of finishing it off. It’s early in the season, and the details maybe quite aren’t there yet. But overall, I’m happy with the performance other than the result.”  The Vaqueros (4-2) took the lead after 21 minutes of scoreless action. COC stopped Santa Barbara’s initial attack but couldn’t clear out the ball, giving forward Madison Dodson a clear look and the go-ahead goal.  COC came close to answering with a goal but that became the story of the game. Forward Ashley Striegel had all four of her shots on goal saved, including a rocket from just outside the box that a diving Kirk was just able to save.  College of the Canyons midfielder Ashley Striegel (22) dribbles away from a couple of Santa Barbara players during Tuesday’s matchup at COC. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. Striegel set up one of Canyons’ best chances in the first seven minutes, when she laid off the ball to sophomore Kiana Madera in a one-on-one with Kirk. Madera got a clean shot off but just missed wide right.   The Cougars had no troubles finding the gaps in the Vaquero defense and worked the ball consistently through the right wing. COC has tons of moving pieces but Striegel serves as the team’s spark plug.  “Having the two sixes that we do with Felicia (Marquez) and Alexa (Garcia), really covering a lot of space, they’re very disciplined, good in the build-up. It really frees Ashley up to be Ashley,” Lundin said. “She wants to hunt the ball. She wants to be on the ball all the time, and we want her on the ball as much as possible as well. She’s fantastic running at defenders and she plays good through balls. She’s a player that wants to be involved, a player we need involved.”  College of the Canyons forward Felicia Marquez (18) tries to dribble away from a couple of Santa Barbara defenders during Tuesday’s matchup at COC. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. Santa Barbara got its comfort goal seven minutes into the second half when Kacey Renga blasted a shot in from the left side of the box. Center back Sofia Soler came close to getting the save behind keeper Amanda Hurlimann but couldn’t stop the big shot on target.  Soler is one of numerous returners on the back line who were all active in moving the ball efficiently up the field.  “The back line’s still learning each other,” Lundin said. “There’s two freshmen and two players that didn’t play a whole lot of minutes together last year at center back. They’re still figuring it out, but really happy with the outside back play.”  College of the Canyons midfielder Ashley Striegel (22) chases down Santa Barbara’s Maisie Moore (6) during Tuesday’s matchup at COC. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. Striegel, a Saugus alumna, set up another solid play when she hit Victoria Martinez in stride. The forward couldn’t capitalize but kept the pressure on and just a few moments later nearly struck again. Martinez showed great effort as she broke through two Vaquero defenders and had a head full of steam heading toward Kirk’s goal but her shot went just over the crossbar.   The Cougars have a long season ahead of them with plenty to look forward to. Lundin will have to focus more than ever on player health with numbers being down in the program. While the team’s physical state will be important, the coach loves what he’s seen so far from Canyons’ mental game.  College of the Canyons forward Bailey Williamson (23) passes upfield during Tuesday’s matchup against Santa Barbara City College at COC. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. “We have a strong mentality this year, whereas maybe in the past, we might have had a little bit more players, but maybe not the mentality of this team,” Lundin said. “So, I’m excited to see where that mentality can carry them this year.”  COC will have a week off before its next non-conference battle before heading into Western State Conference play in a few weeks. Canyons returns home Tuesday for a home game with Glendale at 6 p.m.  “Long-term goals, with a short roster, we have to manage the physical aspect and stay healthy,” Lundin said. “That’s going to be huge for us this season. Short-term goals, we have to find the person who’s going to put the team on their back and score the goals.”  College of the Canyons midfielder Leyla Goodman (12) tries to dribble past a Santa Barbara player during Tuesday’s matchup at COC. Tyler Wainfeld/The Signal. The post COC women’s soccer falls to Santa Barbara   appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal.