Posted: Oct 29, 2014
The University of Redlands women's soccer team eked out an important Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) win over the University of La Verne on Wednesday evening, keeping its hopes alive for a spot in the 2014 SCIAC Postseason Tournament. With persistence throughout the game, the Bulldogs created a successful scoring opportunity in the 69th minute to secure the hard-fought 1-0 win.
Redlands unleashed an immediate presence on the field, earning the first two shots of the night, as junior forward Jen Franklin (Shoreline, WA) and junior midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) fired off quality attempts early in the game.
Sophomore midfielder McKenzie Oliger (Seattle, WA) and senior forward Lihini Weerasinghe (Redlands, CA) joined in the offensive attack, helping the Bulldogs to out-shoot the Leopards by a 5-3 margin in the first half.
Although La Verne upped its offensive pressure in the second stanza, the Redlands defense remained steady, with junior goalkeeper Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) heading up the effort from box by registering three of her four saves in the final 45 minutes.
Not to be outdone, the Bulldogs remained patient before taking advantage of opportunity in front of the goalkeeper's box. After a corner kick by Laursen, the ball bounced around in a scramble before Weerasinghe uncorked a shot into the back of the net for the lone score of the game.
The Maroon and Gray kept the home team off the scoreboard to secure the exciting triumph.
Weerasinghe and Laursen combined for five of the Bulldogs' nine shots.
Felix collected her fifth victory of the season with Wednesday's full-game performance between the pipes.
With the win, Redlands (9-6-2, 6-5-2 SCIAC) boasts 20 points in the standings and sits within striking distance of taking the fourth spot in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. Currently two points behind Occidental College, the Bulldogs host the Tigers on Senior Night this Saturday at 7 p.m. A win would propel the Maroon and Gray into fourth place with 23 points.