Judith Belman was named to the All-PCAC team. Photo by Hugh Cox.
Judith Belman was named to the All-PCAC team. Photo by Hugh Cox.

Comets push past Griffins in PCAC showdown

SAN MARCOS, CA (9/23/2022) -- Palomar faced Grossmont College in their first conference home match of the season and won 3-1 on Minkoff Field. This is the first time Palomar has defeated Grossmont since 2015.

The Comets, coming off a 3-0 loss to Southwestern on Tuesday, were looking for a spark to offense going again. Today it came from Olivia Albarren. In the 16th minute, she connected a pass from Emma Guevara to score the Comets' first goal. The Comet defense hung tough through the remainder of the first half. Regrouping at halftime, the Comets tried something new. A series of quick passes allowed Judith Belman to find the net on a pass from Ashley Martinez within seconds of the second half starting. 

The Griffins made adjustments at halftime and started to apply the pressure on the Comet defense. The Griffins lone goal came in the 54th minute. As more and more pressure was applied, goalkeeper Sayra Gamboa only got stronger. Recording save after save in the final minutes, Gamboa was able to keep it a one goal game. The Comets were finally able to clear the ball, which opened Belman up for a final seconds goal off yet another assist from Martinez.

Palomar moves to 4-2-1 overall and 2-1 in PCAC play. They will host north county rival MiraCosta College on Tuesday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. at Minkoff Field.