Cougars Set For Conference Title Showdown After Scoreless Draw at AVC

By Jesse Muñoz/COC Sports Information Director 

LANCASTER, Calif. — The Cougars traveled north and played to a scoreless draw vs. host Antelope Valley College on Tuesday, to set up a conference title showdown vs. Bakersfield College on Friday.

Canyons (3-10-4, 2-2-3) will enter the final day of the regular season just two points behind co-conference leaders Bakersfield and Antelope Valley.

AVC (7-5-8, 2-1-5) played its final game of the season on Tuesday and cannot accrue additional points. Bakersfield (9-7-3, 3-2-2) will face the Cougars in Santa Clarita on Friday.

A win or draw by the Renegades would clinch the Western State Conference (WSC), South Division championship for Bakersfield.

A victory by Canyons would result in a second consecutive conference title for the Cougars.

COC is unbeaten in its last five matches, having gone 2-0-3 during that stretch.

In Tuesday's match, COC sophomore goalkeeper Kian Bensend recorded six saves in the shutout to preserve the Cougars' postseason hopes.

COC's 2018 conference crown was the first in program history and also marked the Cougars' return to the postseason after a seven-year hiatus.

In 2018, the Cougars won four of the final five games down the stretch to end the regular season, including a 1-0 road victory over Bakersfield College in the regular season finale to clinch the conference title. 

Canyons will host Bakersfield College at 3 p.m. on Friday in the regular season finale. The Cougars previously defeated Bakersfield on the road by a 2-0 margin back on Oct. 29.

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.