The University of Redlands women's soccer hosted the Chapman University Panthers in Saturday's Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match on Farquhar Field during Homecoming weekend. Behind the impressive foot of senior midfielder Savannah Laursen (Boise, ID), the Bulldogs prevailed by a score of 3-0 to remain atop the standings with two regular-season conference games to go.
Following a handful of scoring chances in the first period, Laursen created the Bulldogs' best opportunity off of a bending free kick that clanked off the post in the 26th minute.
Nonetheless, the close miss simply fueled Laursen's fire, as she took full advantage of a loose ball in the far corner of the goalkeeper box less than 10 minutes later. She quickly gathered the ball and rocketed a shot to the opposite corner of the net for the Bulldogs' 1-0 lead.
During the second half, the Panthers stepped up the physicality and urgency of the game, forcing the host school to remain poised and intelligent on the field. Without concern, the Bulldogs responded in the 77th minute when Laursen once again collected possession and found space to fire off her second goal of the game and her team-leading fifth of the season. This one flew past the stretching Chapman goalkeeper into the upper 90 of the net.
Despite Chapman's persistence on its offensive third, sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) and the Bulldog backline of junior Faith Campbell (Bainbridge Island, WA), sophomore Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA), and senior Sam Keary (Mission Viejo, CA) stepped up to preserve the shutout.
Menk finished the full-game performance with five saves.
In the 89th minute, freshman midfielder Lauren Bay (Oak Park, CA) provided an insurance goal with another great finish by the Bulldogs.
Redlands tallied 12 shots overall, with Laursen and Bay leading the effort with three attempts each.
Furthermore, junior midfielder Erin Lau (Reno, NV), sophomore forward Mollie Craighead (Descanso, CA), and senior midfielder Isabella Baez (Zionsville, IN) provided quality minutes in Redlands' win.
The Bulldogs (9-3-2, 8-3-1 SCIAC) face a busy week of action, beginning with a non-conference bout against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs on Monday, October 26, at 4 p.m. on Farquhar Field.
