The Cal Lutheran women’s soccer team defeated Pomona-Pitzer 3-1 on Saturday morning. The Sagehens fell to 6-3 overall and 3-2 in SCIAC.
Nine minutes into the game, SCIAC’s leading scorer Taylor Will scored off an assist from Sinead Vaughn.
Forward Traci Lopez PZ ’12 tied up the game with a goal in the 21st minute. Nicole Quilliam PO ’15 assisted Lopez with a through ball over the Regals’ defense. With a Cal Lu defender pressuring her back, Lopez sprinted to touch the ball past goalkeeper Renee Standage, barely avoiding a collision with her. This was the first goal scored against Standage in SCIAC play.
Linsday Armenta scored the next two goals for the Regals. Less than ten minutes after Lopez’s goal, Armenta put Cal Lu into the lead. Winning the ball near the left sideline, she skillfully dribbled to just outside the box and nailed a shot into the upper-right corner. Armenta scored again with a header off Nicole Rains’s free kick. From 35 yards out, Rains placed the free kick over the Sagehen defense toward the back post for Armenta to finish.
In the second half, there were several attempts from both sides at another goal. Allie Tao PO ’14 and Rachel Eckerlin PZ ’12 kicked shots over the goal, and Armenta hit the crossbar. The Regals outshot Pomona-Pitzer 13-5, with goalkeeper Emma Wolfarth PO ’14 making four saves. Ultimately neither could muster another goal, and Cal Lutheran snatched the 3-1 win.
The Sagehens were expected to play at Whittier on Wednesday; however, the game was postponed until Monday due to rain. This postponement means the Sagehens will play a physically and mentally draining schedule of four games in an eight-day period, the last of which will be against rival CMS.
The Sagehens will next be in action at Redlands on Saturday. Earlier in the season, the Sagehens triumphed over the Bulldogs 2-0 for their first win against the team in four seasons. Pomona-Pitzer has the opportunity to move up in the rankings to second in SCIAC if they can snap Redlands’ three-game winning streak Saturday morning.