SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Cal Lutheran women's soccer (16-3-2, 9-2-1 SCIAC) opened the 2025 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament with a statement, powering past McMurry (11-4-5, 8-0-3 SCAC) in a dominant 3-0 shutout to advance to the Second Round.

From the opening whistle, the Regals seized control. Just 21 seconds in, Keira Hazard forced the first save of the match, setting the tone for an overpowering offensive effort. Additional early shots from Riley Cardenas and Stephenie Hackett kept McMurry on its heels as the Regals established complete control of possession.

The pressure broke through in the 11th minute when defender Tessa French rose above the back line and headed home a perfectly placed corner kick from Anna Evenson, securing her fourth goal of the season and giving Cal Lutheran the early lead. The Regals continued to generate chance after chance, with Evenson, Olivia Suarez, and Hana Sawan all pressing the Warhawks' back line.

Cal Lutheran doubled the lead in the 30th minute when forward Elena Baltazar, making a well-timed run into the box, scored her second goal of the season and fourth of her career. The build-up flowed through Sawyer Frye and Ryan Kaneko, and Baltazar's finish gave the Regals a confident 2-0 lead at the break.

Cal Lutheran returned from halftime with the same energy. In the 62nd minute, Baltazar slipped a perfect ball to midfielder Stephenie Hackett, who buried her fourth goal of the season to push the Regals ahead 3-0 and effectively put the match out of reach. 

Beyond the scoring, Cal Lutheran outplayed McMurry in nearly every statistical category.

The Regals outshot the Warhawks 15-7, including eight shots on frame to McMurry's two. Cal Lutheran earned 12 corner kicks while allowing only three, dictated possession, and didn't commit a single foul. Defensively, the back line remained steady, and goalkeeper Kelsey Slaugh handled the limited pressure she faced, helping lock down the clean sheet.

As the match wound down, Cal Lutheran controlled tempo and closed out a dominant NCAA Tournament First Round victory. 

With the win, the Regals advance to the Round of 32, riding strong momentum into tomorrow's matchup against host-school Trinity (TX) as they continue their pursuit of a deep postseason run.