After Saturday night's victory, the University of Redlands women's soccer team faced a quick turnaround with an unusual Monday night game when it traveled to Chapman University for Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action in the city of Orange. Nonetheless, the Maroon and Gray benefitted from an early goal by junior midfielder Alexa Glick (Boise, ID) and held on for the important win over the Panthers.
Despite facing 17 Chapman shots in the game, junior goalkeeper Brittany Dinkins (Renton, WA) served as a brick wall between the posts. Dinkins shielded the Bulldog net on all eight of Chapman's on-goal attempts to preserve the clean sheet and earn her first-career shutout. She showed her versatility with a punch-out over the crossbar and a diving stop against a free kick.
Early in the game, Chapman came out firing, as Dinkins faced three shots in the first 17 minutes alone. However, Redlands responded by creating a lucrative opportunity just minutes later. First-year defender Logan Swim (Issaquah, WA) passed the ball up to senior midfielder Madison Mills (San Ramon, CA), who trapped it and immediately connected with senior midfielder Hayley Romo (Port Orchard, WA) on the right flank. Romo moved it downfield before crossing it into the box, where Glick created space amidst the defenders and buried it into the upper-right corner of the net for the Bulldogs' 1-0 lead.
However, Chapman continued to press offensively, forcing the Bulldogs to step up under pressure. Despite multiple chances by the Panthers, Redlands kept them off the scoreboard.
Late in the half, the Maroon and Gray earned a corner kick, which led to a quality look by sophomore midfielder Emily Falla (Woodinville, WA) in the 44th minute.
The Bulldogs showcased more airtight defense in the second half, coming up with two defensive blocks on Panther attempts in the 46th minute.
Once again, the Maroon and Gray went back on the attack and earned a trio of corner kicks. The first two were deflected back on the end line, but the last one resulted in a shot from senior midfielder Rachel Tungol (San Ramon, CA), who fired it just wide. The Maroon and Gray had two more opportunities to cushion the lead in the second half, but neither connected.
With the Panthers' backs against the wall, they continued to put pressure on Dinkins in net. In the 83rd minute, Chapman attempted a header, but Dinkins once again made the save. Despite the Panthers' final efforts, Redlands held off the late push to preserve the shutout. In addition to Dinkins' strong performance, the Bulldogs gained quality support from first-year defender Lizzy Geringer (Fullerton, CA), who made her first showing at center back for Redlands.
Redlands (3-2-1, 2-0-1 SCIAC) heads to the University of La Verne for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Wednesday, September 19.
