Saddleback Stops Orange’s Soccer Streak

SANTA ANA —  Ed Carrillo, the Orange High boys’ soccer coach, wasn’t surprised that the Panthers’ eight-game unbeaten streak was stopped Thursday by Saddleback.

Saddleback, unranked in the Orange County Coaches’ Poll, beat second-ranked Orange, 2-1, in a nonleague match at Saddleback.

Carrillo said the loss was bound to happen, given the way the Panthers have been playing lately. After recording five consecutive shutouts, Orange (6-1-2) tied Trabuco Hills on Monday and yielded one goal in a 3-1 victory over Loara Wednesday. The Panthers’ most-recent loss was to Mission Viejo in the Southern Section 3-A quarterfinals last season.

Thursday, the Roadrunners held a 2-0 lead at halftime. With 12 minutes remaining in the match, Paul Lopez scored for the Panthers.

Saddleback (5-1) scored its first goal 7:37 into the first half when Orange goalkeeper Juan Ramirez scooped up a shot by Jose Escudero, but fumbled it, allowing the Roadrunners’ Jaime Torres to tap it in. The Roadrunners scored again 37:20 into the first half when Rafael Santa Maria dribbled the ball to Jose Escudero, who kicked it in from 15 yards out.