The University of Redlands women's soccer team kicked off the 2015 campaign on the road Thursday evening against the Pacific University (OR) Boxers. After a sluggish start in damp conditions, the Bulldogs heated up the field and pulled out a late-game thriller by defeating the Boxers, 2-1, in double-overtime.
The game began gridlocked with strong defense on both sides of the field. The Bulldogs' brigade was relentless in its pursuit of ball possession, pioneered by a sharp unit consisting of junior Faith Campbell (Bainbridge Island, WA), junior Sammie Burghardt (Gig Harbor, WA), and sophomore Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA).
However, Redlands was also held to minimal chances, as senior forward Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) was the lone Bulldog to fire off a shot in the first half.
During the second half, both teams began to create offensive opportunities, with Pacific striking first in the 56th minute to grab a 1-0 lead.
Nonetheless, the Bulldogs continued to press the Pacific defense, as Burghardt hammered off her second shot of the contest but misfired wide left.
After the Maroon and Gray endured a16-minute span without a shot attempt, junior midfielder Erin Lau (Reno, NV) teamed up with senior forward Isabella Baez (Zionsville, IN) in the 85th minute for an equalizing score. After Baez fed Lau in front of the box as she was streaking left across the face of the goal, Lau gathered the pass with two touches and redirected a perfectly placed ball on the lower-right corner for the score.
In the first overtime period, Pacific took the reins on the offensive end, but to no avail, as the Bulldogs misfired on three attempts that scattered all around the goal.
For Redlands, Laursen tried her foot in the 98th minute but slightly missed the mark to the left.
Fortunately, the Bulldogs took control in the final 10 minutes of action, as they fired off five shots. Larsen and freshman midfielder Lauren Bay (Oak Park, CA) led the charge by combining for three quality looks. With less than a minute remaining in the second overtime period, sophomore midfielder Shayla Funk (Fremont, CA) came through in the clutch with a top-shelf, game-winner from approximately 20 yards out, resulting in a dramatic 2-1 triumph in the Maroon and Gray's season opener.
Overall, Laursen led the way with five shots, while four other Bulldogs recorded one shot each.
Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) picked up the win after playing 64 minutes between the pipes, while senior goalkeeper Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) contributed 45 minutes as the starter in the box.
The Bulldogs (1-0) continue their two-game, Oregon road trip by facing off against the Willamette University Bearcats (0-1) on Saturday, September 5, at 11 a.m.
