After a scoreless first half, the fourth-seeded University of Redlands women's soccer team netted a second-half, game-winning goal to stun the top-seeded Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas in Wednesday's semifinal match of the 2014 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament. With the 1-0 decision, the Bulldogs advance to the championship match, which takes place on Saturday, November 8, against Cal Lutheran University.
The Bulldogs had no trouble continuing their late-season momentum by remaining true to their steady dosage of offensive opportunities. Junior forward Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) uncorked two shots in the opening eight minutes of action and then later fired off a quality attempt in the 44th minute.
Senior forward Tanya Haggen (Bellingham, WA) followed Laursen's lead by blasting off shots in the 16th and 19th minutes. Junior midfielder Cassie Lively (Redmond, WA) and sophomore midfielder McKenzie Oliger (Seattle, WA) chipped in two shots as well.
The defensive unit of junior Sam Keary (Mission Viejo, CA), sophomore Faith Campbell (Bainbridge Island, WA), freshman Elena Larsen (Seattle, WA), and freshman Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA) limited the Athenas' offense to five shots in the first stanza, with only one attempt landing on target.
After a scoreless first half, CMS stepped up its defensive pressure and allowed minimal scoring chances for the Maroon and Gray. Despite the lack of opportunities, Redlands found the breakthrough in the 68th minute.
After the Bulldogs lofted the ball from their defensive third of the field, the team worked the ball around to multiple players before making the most of opportunity in front of the goal. Junior midfielder Summer Norquist (Boise, ID) won a jump ball by heading it to her teammate Oliger, who made a nice move toward the near sideline. She quickly found Haggen, who was streaking across the box toward the end line. With a defender in her face, Haggen fired off a solid cross that was deflected by a CMS defender and headed right to Laursen, who gathered the attempted clear with two touches before firing a shot. Although the goalkeeper made a nice save, the ball drifted away from her grasp, where senior forward Lihini Weerasinghe (Redlands, CA) fired the loose ball into the back of the net for the only score of the game.
Watch the game-winning goal here.
The Weerasinghe score was all the Bulldogs needed, as they held on to the victory through a stellar performance from the defensive unit, which included three crucial saves by junior goalkeeper Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI).
After the game, Head Coach Suzette Soboti shared her thoughts on the win, the Bulldogs' adjustments, and their next opponent.
With the victory, the Maroon and Gray travels to Thousand Oaks on Saturday, November 8, to face off against the Cal Lutheran University Regals in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship match at 3:30 p.m.