THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Cal Lutheran women's soccer willed their way to a 2-1 comeback win against La Verne thanks to late goals by Adriana Maroney and Isabella Veljacic on Saturday night.
With the win, the Regals stay in contention for a SCIAC Championship. Cal Lutheran is 8-0-2 in conference play and Pomona-Pitzer is 9-0-2.
"A lot of credit to La Verne tonight," head coach Frank Marino said. "They played well and had a great game plan. We were fortunate to come out with a win. I am proud of the character we showed to get the result."
La Verne controlled the first half, striking first in the 35th minute off a corner kick. The Regals had their chances, outshooting the Leopards 7-2 through 45 minutes, but could not capitalize.
Just when time seemed to be running out for Cal Lutheran to mount a comeback, a late corner kick would give the Regals life. In the 86th minute, Hana Sawan delivered a picture-perfect ball into the box, and Maroney finished the play to get the Regals on the board.
With newfound momentum, the Regals were hungry to get one more and steal a victory. Just two minutes later, Veljacic scored the game-winning goal with an assist from Kari Orr with just over a minute to play.
A huge result for the Regals as the end of the regular season nears. They stay undefeated and improve to 13-0-3, 8-0-2 in the SCIAC standings, while La Verne falls to 4-7-5 (2-5-4). Cal Lutheran continues its playoff push on the road against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday, October 25 at 5 p.m.
