Hughey, Orozco lead the way to State Cup Final Four

TEMECULA — Fallbrook’s Sheila Orozco and Lauren Hughey have been playing soccer together for five years, from the time they were 9 with Fallbrook Fury and for the last two years with the SouthWest Soccer Club (SWSC) of Temecula.

The girls hope their familiarity with each other will help lead their under-14 team to the State Cup Soccer Championship. As anchors of the SWSC midfield, Orozco focuses on defense while Hughey concentrates on initiating the offensive push. Through their efforts, SWSC has reached the Final Four of 66 teams participating in the state cup.

To open the cup, SWSC traveled to Bakersfield and battled CSC San Diego to a scoreless tie. Dissatisfied with their performance in the opening match, SWSC took out their vengeance on the Bakersfield Gunners and Laguna Niguel Soccer Clubs by posting identical 6-0 shutouts, with Orozco and Hughey combining for five of the 12 goals.

Advancing to Lancaster – and the 32nd round – SWSC defeated the SAS Kickers 4-3 to put them in the Sweet 16.

Giving up three goals in one game left a bad taste with SWSC. Orozco took charge of the defense and SWSC shut out the Riverside Fusion 3-0, while Hughey scored the winning goal in a 1-0 shutout win over the Laguna Hills Eclipse.

Hughey and Orozco plan to complete their run to a state championship this weekend in Lancaster. In addition to playing with SWSC, the girls also play on the co-ed Potter Junior High soccer team.