The Corban University Women's Soccer team (4-1-0, 0-0-0) finally met their match Sunday afternoon, dropping their final non-conference game of the 2022 regular season to the Lions of Vanguard University (3-2-2, 0-0-0), their first loss of the season in a 1-3 final score.
"The team battled today through the smoke and the heat with a few key players out due to injury. Vanguard started out strong, which we took a second to respond on, and it ultimately hurt us in the end," Warriors' Head Coach Whitney Pitalo shared on her team's efforts today.
"I thought we played together much better in the second half, but unfortunately we weren't able to convert on some of our opportunities. We're taking the lessons from today's loss to help prepare us for conference play," Pitalo concluded.
The Lions came out extremely aggressive both offensively and defensively, something the Warriors had yet to be tested on a consistent basis through the first four non-conference games they completed. This resulted in four straight shots for Vanguard, two of which resulted in saves for Warriors' junior goalkeeper Makida Herbert.
On the very next Vanguard opportunity, midfielder Rachel Penick took a corner kick for the Lions, which rebounded back out to her for a strike opportunity that sailed over the head of Herbert and into the net, the first goal she's allowed in four straight games.
It didn't take long for the Lions to duplicate their score, as midfielder Kennedy Cypher jumped on an opportunity in front of the net after multiple exchanges of possession, resulting in a 2-0 lead for Vanguard.
Penick found pay dirt once again in the second half, as defender Kate Baranski slipped the ball through the Warrior defensive front to an open Penick, who jumped on the opportunity to grow their lead to a three-goal margin.
Corban finally found the back of the goal in the 69th minute, as sophomore forward Alysia Alvarado sailed a deep shot well outside the penalty box up and over the head of Lions' goalkeeper Jordin Holmquist-Wilder to put the Warriors on the board.
However, the consistent defensive force the Lions preserved throughout the contest ultimately resulted in the first loss of the season for the Warriors. Vanguard held the advantage in nearly every aspect of the game, outshooting Corban 14-10 and 9-6 for shots on goal. They also held a slight corner kick advantage with four on the afternoon to the Warriors' three.
Senior midfielder Mei Suetsugu led the Warriors offensively today with three shots, two of which were on goal. Alvarado's lone goal is her second of the season, and she followed right behind Suetsugu with two shots in total, both of which were either scored or batted away by Holmquist-Wilder.
Herbert (4-1) took her first loss of the season after allowing three goals against the Lions, hauling in six saves in the process.
Penick could not be contained on the offensive end of the field for Vanguard, scoring twice on her five shots on goal, and had seven shots in general for the Lions. Holmquist-Wilder allowed just one goal this afternoon, earning five saves in the full 90 minutes played.
The Warriors open conference play this upcoming Friday when they play host to the Carroll College Saints at 4:30pm PDT at the Outdoor Athletic Complex.
Original source can be found here.
Alerts Sign-up