ATHENS – Navarro outscored Trinity Valley 79-1 in the first seven meetings of a burgeoning soccer rivalry, but all the top-ranked Bulldogs needed Tuesday was one goal.
Start of the Region XIV match was delayed 45 minutes without officials. Once started, time tick-tocked into a scoreless second half for the two ticking time bomb teams.
At the 60-minute mark, Navarro's Aoi Kawabuchi could not wait a minute longer.
The freshman forward's eighth goal of the season broke the deadlock.
With the lead and a collective exhale, the Bulldogs turned to their trusty, impenetrable defense to finalize a 1-0 victory over TVCC for their 12th straight win and 10th shutout of the year.
Kawabuchi's goal past Jamie Norega came in transition off feeds from Dajonae Pinto and Constance Agyemang after a TVCC penalty kick caromed out front, off Navarro's defensive set.
Navarro's third one-goal win of the season snapped TVCC's four-match winning streak and handed the Cardinals their first loss at The Pit in six outings. The Bulldogs completed a regular-season sweep over Coach Jimmy Elder's Cardinals (9-3, 8-3).
Navarro's North Zone leaders play Friday against the 9th-ranked Apache Ladies (11-3) at Tyler's Pat Hartley Field.
FREE KICKS: Navarro is 21-1-7 in its last 29 matches, dating back to September 6, 2023. Goalkeeper Faviola Mishell made six saves during her 12th win. TVCC's fourth-year program was coming a 2-1 win Friday at The Pit over Tyler – its first win over a NJCAA Top-5 program.TVCC Coach Jimmy Elder led Dallas College-Brookhaven to three consecutive NJCAA Division III women's national titles. Opponents have not scored against Navarro for the last 330 minutes, following up an earlier streak of 660. The United States Soccer Coaches Association's junior college women's rankings continues to list Navarro No. 2 behind twice-tied, two-time defending NJCAA champion Iowa Western.
