On Senior Day at Farquhar Field, the University of Redlands women's soccer team put together one of its most impressive performances of the 2012 campaign, blanking the Poets of Whittier College, 4-0. Paced by junior midfielder Nicole Fox (Cheney, WA), the Bulldogs dominated all aspects of the contest and now must wait and see if they will be playing in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Postseason Tournament.
Prior to the match, Bulldog Athletics honored seniors Linzey Smith (Anaheim Hills, CA), Kendall Pegan (Lafayette, CA), Ellie Harrington (Seattle, WA), Meghan King (Portland, OR), Rheana Bales (Issaquah, WA), Maddy Cartwright (Salt Lake City, UT), and Samantha Rivera (Thousand Oaks, CA) for their successes on and off the field.
The U of R got off to a fantastic start when freshman midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) found Fox with a nifty pass. Fox took a touch and slotted the ball into the back of the net, tallying her first of the year.
Less than two minutes later, Laursen whipped in a beautiful corner kick to Rivera who one-timed it to Fox who headed it past the Poet goalkeeper.
Continuing to press the issue in search of more goals, Redlands earned a free kick just outside of Whittier's 18-yard box. Laursen blasted the set-piece over the wall and into the upper-left corner of the goal, marking the fifth time she's found the back of the net during her rookie campaign.
Watch Laursen's free-kick goal here.
With the three-goal advantage, the Maroon and Gray continued to apply the offensive pressure, and in the 42nd minute, it resulted in the Bulldogs' fourth goal of the afternoon. Sophomore forward Kristen Arroyo (San Diego, CA) received a pass on the left side and hit a perfect cross to freshman forward Jennifer Franklin (Shoreline, WA) who one-timed it into the goal.
The second half was much of the same as the Bulldogs created opportunities offensively while keeping the majority of possession. While no more scores came, it was an all-around solid team effort throughout the entirety of the match.
Between the pipes for Redlands, Smith tallied four saves and picked up the win in what was her final contest at Farquhar Field. Additionally, the backline impressed all day long, shutting down the Poets' attack while not allowing any clear chances.
For the match, the Maroon and Gray out-shot Whittier, 33-7, and held the edge in corner kicks, 7-1.
Redlands (10-5-3, 7-5-2) now must wait for the conclusion of tonight's match between Pomona-Pitzer Colleges and the University of La Verne to find out whether or not it will be competing in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament. If Pomona-Pitzer ties or loses to the Leopards, then Redlands will secure fourth-place in the conference standings and a spot in the conference postseason tournament. If however, the Sagehens do win, Redlands and Pomona-Pitzer will be tied for fourth place in the final regular-season SCIAC standings, and the Sagehens will earn a place in the postseason conference tournament via the tiebreaker (head-to-head competition). Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7 p.m.
