The University of Redlands women's soccer team battled with Occidental College on Saturday evening, but came up just short in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) loss, 1-2. Despite the defeat, the Maroon and Gray fought hard until the end on Senior Night and left it all on the field.
Prior to the start of the match, senior goalkeeper Sabrina Grandke-Bawab (Kirkland, WA), senior defenders Megan Marks (Boise, ID) and Kinslee Isaman (Lake Stevens, WA), senior midfielder Lihini Weerasinghe (Redlands, CA), and senior forward Nicole Fox (Cheney, WA) were all honored for their efforts during their respective careers at the U of R.
Redlands created some opportunities early in the match, but could not find the back of the net. Occidental went in front in the 17th minute of play when Julie Khil crossed a ball to Michaela Tsuha who slotted the ball into the goal.
Grandke-Bawab kept the Tigers from tacking on a couple more during the first half, making three fantastic diving stops in addition to saving an Occidental shot on a breakaway opportunity. She finished the first half with seven total saves.
Junior midfielder Devin Wright (Upland, CA) had the best opportunity of the first stanza for Redlands, ripping a 35-yard free kick that looked to be heading for the back of the net, but Tiger goalkeeper Tayler Renshaw leaped to make a diving save.
By halftime, the Tigers had outshot the Bulldogs, 11-10, and held the corner-kick advantage, 3-2.
The Bulldogs came out of the break and knew they needed to find an equalizer quickly. Not only did Redlands find it fast, but they scored just 29 seconds into the second stanza. Fox received the ball on the left side near the end line, beat her defender and then ripped the ball past Renshaw for her third goal on the campaign.
Continuing to ride the momentum from the quick score, the Bulldog forced Renshaw into a couple more saves immediately after Fox's goal, keeping the pressure on the Tigers' defense.
The Maroon and Gray, however, would not find the finishing touch again. Occidental (5-10-2, 4-9-1 SCIAC) eventually scored the game-winner in the 84th minute when Kylie Takafuji got behind the Bulldog defense and ripped her shot past Grandke-Bawab for a goal.
On the night, the U of R outshot the Tigers, 22-20, and held the advantage in corner kicks, 6-3. Sophomore midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) led the way for the Bulldog attack with six shots, while Wright, Fox, and sophomore midfielder Summer Norquist (Boise, ID) each racked up three shots.
Grandke-Bawab finished the evening with an incredible 12 saves, making numerous diving stops in the process.
The Maroon and Gray completed the 2013 season with a 6-10-3 overall record and a 5-7-2 SCIAC mark to finish in sixth place in the conference standings.
