The University of Redlands women's soccer squad battled it out with the Whittier College Poets on Wednesday, October 22, in a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) showdown under the lights at Farquhar Field. The Bulldogs enjoyed an offensive outburst, netting five goals in the solid 5-1 victory.
The Bulldogs started off strong by attacking Whittier's defense early on. Their relentless efforts paid off, as senior forward Lihini Weerasinghe (Redlands, CA) got the ball rolling for the Maroon and Gray by netting a goal in the 14th minute.
Just minutes after the Bulldogs' first score, junior forward Jen Franklin (Shoreline, WA) joined the scoring party, as Weerasinghe located her in front of the box on a cross, which Franklin promptly buried to expand the Bulldogs' lead to 2-0.
However, the Poets notched a score in the 38th minute to make it a one-goal game at the halfway point.
Refusing to back down, the Bulldogs carried their active offense into the second half, as they blasted off 14 shots in the final 45 minutes.
In the 65th minute, junior forward Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID) unleashed a shot that found the back of the net after sophomore midfielder McKenzie Oliger (Seattle, WA) displayed impressive focus in facilitating the opportunity. Oliger orchestrated a second chance for the Maroon and Gray by gathering the rebounding and then dishing it to Laursen, who pushed the Bulldogs' advantage to 3-1 with her 13th career-goal.
Moments later, the Poets were whistled for a foul in their own goal box, ultimately setting up a penalty kick for Oliger, who fired a missile that snuck past the diving Poet goalkeeper, widening Redlands' lead to 4-1.
Capping off an impressive offensive display, junior forward Kate Frame (Fox Island, WA) knocked home a goal in the 81st minute, as she blazed past the Poet defense and unleashed a laser into the back of the net.
Redlands stuck to their two-goalkeeper strategy, as freshman Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) and junior Lexi Felix (Kailua, HI) split halves between the pipes. Menk recorded the win, while Felix raked in two saves.
Sophomore defender Madi McFarlane (Palm Desert, CA) and freshman midfielder Mollie Craighead (Descanso, CA) entered the game in the second half, blasting one shot each.
Redlands' solid defensive play was a team effort, compliments of sophomore Faith Campbell (Bainbridge Island, WA), freshman Elena Laursen (Seattle, WA), junior Sam Keary (Mission Viejo, CA), freshman Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA), senior Amy Pumputis (Redmond, WA), and sophomore Samantha Burghardt (Gig Harbor, WA).
The Maroon and Gray out-shot the Poets by a large margin of 24-4, while also tallying 10 corner kicks to Whittiers' two.
The Bulldogs (8-5-2, 5-4-2 SCIAC) continue SCIAC competition on Saturday in a crucial road-game against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges Athenas at 11 a.m.