The University of Redlands women's soccer team continued Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action on Wednesday night under the lights at Farquhar Field by facing off against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas. While both teams matched two goals in the second half, the Bulldogs prevailed in a 3-2 double-overtime victory that was dedicated to Breast Cancer Awareness.
Both squads had minimal offensive opportunities in the first half of the contest, as the Bulldogs recorded three shots to the Athenas' four. Junior goalkeeper Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) was an immediate force between the pipes for the Maroon and Gray, recording two saves in the first nine minutes of the game.
With no score at the end of the first stanza, both teams came out firing in the second half, creating a high-flying offensive display mixed with a very physical intensity.
CMS jumped on the board first, as the Athenas netted the first score of the game in the 47th minute off a free kick just outside of the goalkeeper's box.
Moments later, Redlands looked to counter with back-to-back shots from junior midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) and junior midfielder Summer Norquist (Boise, ID).
The Maroon and Gray continued to pressure the CMS defense, as senior forward Tanya Haggen (Bellingham, WA) uncorked a shot in the 57th minute that forced the Athena goalkeeper to make the save. Junior midfielder Cassie Lively (Redmond, WA) followed suit by supplying an on-frame blast.
The Bulldogs' offensive effort paid off in the 59th minute, as Laursen located the back of the net with a brilliant, lofting shot that caught the goalkeeper off the end line to tie up the game.
But less than five minutes later, the Athenas responded with their second goal of the contest for a 2-1 advantage.
However, the Bulldogs quickly answered, as senior forward Lihini Weerasinghe (Redlands, CA) fired off a shot, just seconds after the CMS score. Laursen continued her aggressive play on the offensive end of the field, as she unleashed another attempt. Sophomore midfielder McKenzie Oliger (Seattle, WA) joined the action, firing a missile that was knocked away by the Athena goalkeeper.
The Bulldogs remained relentless on the offensive end, eager to tie it up for a second time. In the 69th minute, Haggen blasted off a shot that was blocked by the Athena defenders. However, she continued to fight for the possession and was fouled in the box, which set up a penalty shot. After a long pause, Haggen buried the equalizer into the net to even the tally once again.
Despite both teams having their chances, the score remained knotted at two apiece after 90 minutes of action, forcing the game into overtime.
Following a scoreless 10 minutes of the first extra period, the Maroon and Gray took advantage of its opening opportunity in the second overtime, as Oliger netted the game-winning shot in the 101st minute off a perfectly-placed assist by Norquist, leading to the exciting and hard-fought 3-2 victory for the Bulldogs.
Watch the game-winning goal here.
Felix (3-2-0), who played the majority of the game between the pipes, earned the victory after hauling in six saves.
Overall, Redlands blasted off 18 shots in the contest, with Haggen and Laursen leading the way with four apiece.
With six yellow cards and 22 fouls, the game proved to be a physical and intense contest between the two familiar rivals.
Redlands (5-3-0, 3-2-0 SCIAC) continues conference competition on Saturday when it faces off against the University of La Verne Leopards (2-3-0, 4-5-0 SCIAC) at 11 a.m. on Farquhar Field.