THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Going up against one of the top teams in the country, the Cal Lutheran women's soccer team dropped a hard fought contest 2-0 to No. 12 Hardin-Simmons (Texas) at William Rolland Stadium on Friday night.
The Regals came out firing on all cylinders playing critical defense not allowing the high-octane offense of Hardin-Simmons (2-0) to generate many chances throughout the game.
CLU came up with the first big opportunity of the game earning a free kick in the 8th minute. Charlotte Rosen floated a nice ball into the box to Bianca Deardorff, but it was deflected out of bounds.
Just three minutes later, the Cowgirls would counter with a breakaway as forward Jordan Lara dribbled into the box and converted a line-drive shot above goalie Stacey Choate-Ciletti's head in the first appearance of her career.
On their next possession the Cowgirls would attack the goal once more, but Choate-Ciletti made a brilliant diving save to keep the score in reach at 1-0.
In the 21st minute Deardorff sped past the defense creating a two-on-one scenario and a prime opportunity for the Violet and Gold. The Cowgirls goalie Lexi Stinson made a great play and left her post to intercept the pass by Deardorff.
CLU would create two more chances before the end of the half by drawing two corner-kicks on back-to-back possessions. Rosen delivered beautiful crosses that were deflected and landed at the feet of Yahaira Hernandez. Hernandez delivered a bullet on target but a HSU defender was able to make the block.
In the second half, the Regals were holding strong and creating numerous opportunities for themselves, but were unable to convert.
In the 60th minute, Cowgirl forward Julianne Kucera flipped a finesse shot over the Cal Lutheran goalie as she made a play for the ball. The ball rolled to the back of the net to give Hardin-Simmons a 2-0 advantage.
The Regals would not be denied and kept up a relentless attack toward the waning minutes of the game. Consecutive free kicks for the Regals by Katie Moyer got the fans on their feet in hopes of a comeback. Her first kick went to Rosen who shot just wide of the post while Moyer's second kick was a rocket that connected with the top of the cross bar, narrowly missing a goal from 20 yards out. Hernandez rebounded the ball and missed the put back attempt wide of the net.
CLU had more shots (12-11) and more corner kicks (5-3) than HSU but the ball did not bounce their way in a very hard fought battle.
Cal Lutheran (1-1-1) will head north to compete in the Slugfest Tournament in Santa Cruz, Calif. from Sept. 7-8. Their first matchup will be against Linfield (Ore.) on Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
Box Score: HSU 2, CLU 0
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