On Wednesday evening, the University of Redlands women's soccer team registered its third straight shutout, topping the Whittier College Poets at Farquhar Field, 2-0. For the Bulldogs, it was also the third-consecutive 2-0 triumph and fifth-straight contest in which they have scored two goals.
During the first 45 minutes, the Maroon and Gray garnered a number of opportunities, but Poet freshman goalkeeper Alexi Cruz (Long Beach, CA) kept Whittier in the game by making a number of phenomenal saves, racking up six during the first stanza.
By halftime, the Bulldogs had outshot the Poets, 17-3, and racked up five corner kicks to zero for Whittier.
The onslaught of shots continued in the second half for Redlands, as numerous players threatened offensively and came close to scoring. Junior midfielder Devin Wright (Upland, CA) almost found the back of the net in the 60th minute when she headed the ball towards goal, but again, Cruz made a diving save to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
Redlands finally found the breakthrough in the 72nd minute when sophomore midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) headed a pass to freshman midfielder Kate Frame (Fox Island, WA) who took a couple of touches outside the 18-yard box and deftly chipped a shot into the back of the net. For Frame, it was her second-straight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match in which she has scored.
Five minutes later, Laursen acted as the distributor again, this time taking the ball down the left wing and whipping in a cross to the middle of the box. Freshman midfielder Abby Palkowitz (San Diego, CA) waited for the ball as it came to her and then jumped and headed the ball into the back of the net for her first career goal as a Bulldog.
Those two goals were all Redlands would need as the squad cruised to its second triumph over the Poets on the season, sweeping the season-series with Whittier in the process.
On the night, the U of R outshot the Poets, 30-6, and notched eight corners to just one for the Poets. Freshman midfielder McKenzie Oliger (Seattle, WA) tallied a team-high six shots off the bench, while sophomore midfielder Summer Norquist (Boise, ID) registered the next most with five.
For the third-straight match, the Bulldog goalkeeper combination of senior Sabrina Grandke-Bawab (Kirkland, WA) and sophomore Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) earned the shutout, with Felix having to make two second-half saves.
After the game, Laursen talked about the team's fourth-straight win and the solid overall team performance.
Redlands (6-7-4, 5-4-2 SCIAC) returns to action on Saturday when it heads to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (5-8-3, 4-5-2 SCIAC) for a match with the Athenas. Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
