The University of Redlands women's soccer team welcomed the University of La Verne to Farquhar Field for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) match-up on Saturday morning. Prior to the start of the game, the Bulldogs honored current military personnel and veterans while the East Valley Young Marines presented the colors for the National Anthem.
With all layers of Redlands' offense working in tandem to notch a score early in the game, the Bulldog defense held off the Leopards to preserve the 1-0 victory.
The Bulldogs got off to a hot start by outshooting La Verne, 4-1, in the first 10 minutes of action. Their persistence paid off in the 14th minute when they put together a nice combo for the score. After junior defender Madison Mills (San Ramon, CA) crossed the ball to the far post, senior forward Mollie Craighead (Descanso, CA) headed it back across the box, where junior forward Adi Fellows (Albuquerque, NM) successfully volleyed the ball into the back of the net for an early Maroon and Gray advantage.
Redlands continued to press, playing nearly the entire first half in La Verne's defensive third. Junior midfielder Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA) and junior defender Louisa Alstot (Portland, OR) nicely orchestrated the backline and midfield, keeping the ball forward. The home team had four more looks towards goal before halftime.
La Verne turned up the heat in the second stanza, with the Leopards' best chance coming in the 54th minute, but senior goalkeeper Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) made an amazing, diving save to keep the Leopards off the board. In addition, freshman Abby Nordquist (Gig Harbor, WA), senior Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA), and Alstot provided incredible support to maintain the clean sheet for the Bulldogs.
Menk made two more saves in the second half to secure the shutout victory.
The Bulldogs (6-3-0, 3-3-0 SCIAC) play host to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Wednesday, October 4, for a 7 p.m. game on Farquhar Field. Fans are encouraged to show their team spirit with Maroon attire during the MAROON OUT Night.
