THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran women's soccer made Senior Night one to remember Saturday, overwhelming Caltech 5-0 at William Rolland Stadium to extend its winning streak to 10 games and remain unbeaten in SCIAC play.
The evening began with a special moment for fifth-year
Olivia Suarez, who suffered a career-ending injury during the conference opener earlier this season. In a heartfelt tribute, Suarez was given the opportunity to kick off the match before being substituted out, allowing her one final moment on the field in front of the home crowd.
Cal Lutheran then took care of business, putting together a dominant performance from the opening whistle.
The Regals needed less than eight minutes to take a two-goal lead.
Tessa French opened the scoring in the seventh minute, finding the back of the net at the 6:50 mark. Just 20 seconds later, senior
Riley Cardenas doubled the advantage with her first goal of the season.
Cal Lutheran continued its early offensive surge in the 11th minute when
Stephenie Hackett connected on a pass from
Jessica Sprouse to make it 3-0. The goal marked Hackett's sixth of the season, while Sprouse picked up her third assist.
The Regals carried their three-goal advantage into halftime after controlling the opening 45 minutes, outshooting the Beavers 13-0 and earning eight corner kicks.
The offensive pressure continued after the break. In the 56th minute,
Angelina Hernandez found the back of the net for her first collegiate goal, finishing a pass from
Fiori Morin to push the lead to 4-0.
Cal Lutheran added one more in the 75th minute when
Chloe Smith scored her fifth goal of the season off an assist from
Elena Baltazar, capping the five-goal performance.
The Regals finished with a commanding 30-0 advantage in shots, including 16 on goal, while earning 13 corner kicks. Caltech goalkeeper Kassie Kristufek made 11 saves to keep the Beavers from facing an even larger deficit.
Saturday's victory provided a fitting celebration for the Regals' seniors.
Riley Cardenas,
Isabel Turner,
Hana Sawan,
Hannah Gamez and
Elena Baltazar were each honored before the match, with all five earning starts on the night.
With the win, Cal Lutheran improved to 13-1-3 overall and 9-0-2 in SCIAC play, extending its winning streak to 10 games while continuing its unbeaten run through conference competition.
