The University of Redlands women's soccer team stayed persistent against the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs on Thursday under ideal conditions at Farquhar Field. While firing off 24 shots on the night, the Bulldogs capitalized twice in the second-half with a pair of beautiful goals en route to a 2-0 in-region win.
Redlands came out firing by forcing the Santa Cruz goalkeeper to make a save just 1:40 into the game when sophomore midfielder Bryn Anderson (Tahoe City, CAA) blasted one her way from the far corner of the field. The Bulldogs continued to press on the offensive pedal with eight more quality looks before the Banana Slugs registered their first attempt in the 33rd minute.
The Maroon and Gray finished the first stanza with 12 shots but still sought its breakthrough goal when the teams entered the intermission.
However, Head Coach Suzette Soboti's halftime speech inspired the right adjustments, as the Bulldogs upped their offensive pressure early in the second half. The Bulldogs dominated UCSC's defensive third with five shots in the first 15 minutes, when senior forward Mollie Craighead (Descanso, CA) served up an amazing, top-shelf, far-post goal off of a short assist by sophomore midfielder Hanya Loskutoff (Dublin, CA).
With a score on the board, the Bulldogs played with even more confidence and skill while earning a total of 12 shots and five corner kicks in the second frame.
In the 82nd minute, Loskutoff fired off a solid attempt that appeared to be headed for the top of the net but was just off the mark, as it just nicked the crossbar and flew out of bounds.
Redlands gained another score in the 88th minute after Santa Cruz was called for a foul, which set up a free kick from the edge of the box. Senior defender Erin Schlosser (Sammamish, WA) perfectly launched the ball around the defensive wall into the top of the near corner for a highlight-reel goal.
Senior goalkeeper Hannah Menk (Pleasanton, CA) faced only seven shots, including two on frame, thanks in part to the stingy efforts of her backline that included Schlosser, freshman Abby Nordquist (Gig Harbor, WA), sophomore Bria Bowton (Spokane, WA), junior Madison Mills (San Ramon, CA), and junior Louisa Alstot (Portland, OR).
Redlands (2-0-0) hosts the first-year women's soccer team out of Shepherd University, which is located in Los Angeles, on Saturday, September 9, at 11 a.m. on Farquhar Field.
