In a tight Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) race to the finish, the University of Redlands women's soccer team came up with two huge wins last week to take the three-seed in the postseason tournament. The Bulldogs are set to travel to second-seeded Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Thursday, November 2, for a 2:30 p.m. kick-off against Sagehens.
Junior forward Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA) scored both game-winning goals on the road against the University of La Verne and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges to secure Redlands' postseason tournament berth. With those two victories, the Bulldogs improved to 9-7-1 overall to go along with a 6-7-1 mark in conference.
In addition, junior forward Madison Mills (San Ramon, CA) and sophomore midfielder Hanya Loskutoff (Dublin, CA) co-lead the team with five assists. Senior goalkeeper Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) ranks first in the SCIAC with 92 saves while also landing among the top five in save percentage at .868 and a low goals-against average of 0.90.
After a year hiatus, Redlands returns to the SCIAC Postseason Tournament for the seventh time since 2008.
The Sagehens snapped their five-game winless streak with a 3-0 win over Occidental College on Saturday afternoon to secure the No. 2 seed. They own a 9-7-3 overall mark and a 6-5-3 showing in SCIAC competition.
Senior midfielder Abby Onderwyzer-Gold leads the team with eight goals and one assist for 17 points. Sophomore goalkeeper Isa Berardo has racked up more than 1,500 minutes as the Sagehens' primary goalkeeper. She ranks third in the SCIAC with 71 saves.
Pomona-Pitzer won the teams' first match back on September 23 in a 1-0 battle, but Redlands forced a 1-1 tie in their most recent meeting to end a multi-year skid on the road against the Sagehens.
Top-seeded Cal Lutheran University (15-2-2, 11-1-2 SCIAC) will host fourth-seeded Whittier College (10-8-0, 6-8-0 SCIAC) on Thursday, November 2, for a 7 p.m. kickoff.
The winners of the semifinal matches will face each other in the final to be held on Saturday, November 4, at the site of the highest remaining seed. The tournament winner will earn the SCIAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships.
For tickets, students and employees with a current ID from any SCIAC school are admitted for free. General admission costs $10, while seniors 55 and over and military personnel with ID are $5. Children under 12 also receiver free admission.
Fans unable to attend the game can follow along via live streaming at no charge by logging onto the SCIAC portal or by accessing the link through the women's soccer schedule page on GoRedlands.com. Live stats will also be available for viewers.