University of Redlands sophomore midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) scored a goal and assisted on another on Wednesday afternoon as the Bulldog women's soccer team defeated Chapman University, 2-1. In what was Redlands' second one-goal win over the Panthers this season, the Bulldogs moved up to fifth in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings.
The Maroon and Gray began the game on a high note, scoring inside of the first five minutes. Laursen acted as the distributor on the play, passing the ball to senior forward Nicole Fox (Cheney, WA) who ripped a shot from 25 yards out into the back of the net. For Fox, it was her first score of the season.
The Bulldogs finished the first half just as they started the stanza, and this time scored with less than a minute left on the clock. Laursen stepped in front and intercepted a Panther pass about 40 yards from goal, dribbled towards the 18-yard box and then ripped a left-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the goal. For Laursen, it was her team-best fourth score on the campaign.
In the second stanza, the Panthers (8-6-1, 5-4-0 SCIAC) pulled a goal back when Val Sobol found the finishing touch in the 56th minute off of an assist from Emma Castleton.
The Bulldog defense held strong for the remainder of the match, however, shutting down any opportunities the Panthers created en route to the crucial one-goal victory.
Senior goalkeeper Sabrina Grandke-Bawab (Kirkland, WA) racked up four saves in a first-half shutout, while sophomore goalkeeper Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) notched one save during the second stanza.
On top of Laursen's stellar play and three shots, sophomore midfielder Summer Norquist (Boise, ID) and freshman midfielder McKenzie Oliger (Seattle, WA) both recorded two shots in the win.
For the game, Redlands was outshot by Chapman, 14-9, while the Panthers also edged the Bulldogs in corner kicks, 3-1.
The U of R (3-7-3, 3-4-2 SCIAC) returns home on Saturday to take on the University of La Verne (6-8-1, 3-5-1 SCIAC) in a pivotal conference matchup. Kickoff at Farquhar Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.