THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Winning and Cal Lutheran women's soccer have been synonymous this season. Today, the squad overcame some adversity to post their fifth league shutout and remain undefeated in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action with a 1-0 victory over Chapman at Rolland Stadium.
On a hot, 105 degree day on the turf, the Regals came together even more-so than usual in a total team effort, down a few players to start and adjusting to an injury to Lindsay Armenta in the 34th minute.
A cleat to the face forced the senior midfielder to the sidelines after playing aggressively in the opening 33 minutes, leaving the rest of the Regals to step up and they did just that.
Kristina Hulse was one of those players who embraced the opportunity to make a difference. She possessed the ball throughout the contest, but really took control in the second half. The junior finished with three shots, one on goal, and played a key role in keeping the ball away from the Panthers.
Another player who came out strong today was defender Stephanie Gilbert who was instrumental in keeping Chapman off the board, especially in the first half.
Scoreless at the intermission, CLU used the break to recharge and returned in the same form they showed in the opening half.
The winning goal came in the 68th minute when Taylor Will broke free from a pair of Panthers and scored in the lower left corner of the cage to put a crooked number on the board. The sophomore forward led the team with four shots, two on goal.
Cal Lutheran controlled the pace from the get go, taking 18 total shots with Nicole Rains and Dani Granholm each tallying three, while the Panthers were only afforded the opportunity to fire off a total of four, in large part to the defense of the Regals.
CLU earned 10 corner kicks while CU was awarded just one.
Joining Gilbert in the backfield today were Anna Medler and Mallory Carcich, who got the start in place of senior Kirsten DiPippo.
Goalkeeper Kristin Bailey recorded her sixth shutout, fifth in SCIAC play. She saved the only two shots that came her way.
Seventeen of the 19 active field players saw action today. Jenna Malinowski made her home debut for the Regals, playing 25 minutes. Kainoa Becker, Mary Case, Jenna Yutsus and Bailey Marquez all played pivotal minutes off the bench today as well.
"Today was a grinder," head coach Frank Marino said following the victory. "Our players really stepped up where they needed to and did a good job filling in for some injured players."
The Regals will continue to play hard as they are nearly at the mid-point of their SCIAC season.
Cal Lutheran (9-2, 6-0 SCIAC) closes out the first round of league play on Wednesday, Oct. 3 when they travel to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to play the Athenas at 4:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 1, CU 0
