THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran women's soccer team saved its biggest regular-season moment for last, taking down Pomona-Pitzer 2-1 Saturday night at William Rolland Stadium to clinch the SCIAC regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
With both teams entering the regular-season finale unbeaten in conference play, everything was on the line. The Regals rose to the occasion, handing the Sagehens their first SCIAC loss of the season and completing an undefeated conference campaign at 10-0-2.
Cal Lutheran struck first in the 19th minute when
Jessica Sprouse found the back of the net for her sixth goal of the season.
Tessa French set up the scoring opportunity, finding Sprouse to give the Regals an early 1-0 advantage.
The teams battled through a scoreless remainder of the first half, with Cal Lutheran carrying its one-goal lead into the break. The Regals came out of halftime looking to extend their advantage, and they did just that in the 66th minute.
Stephenie Hackett delivered the assist, finding
Sawyer Frye for her seventh goal of the season to put Cal Lutheran ahead 2-0. Pomona-Pitzer answered in the 74th minute, cutting the deficit to one and setting up a tense final stretch.
The Sagehens continued to push for an equalizer, making the final 10 minutes a battle as the Regals fought to protect their lead. Goalkeeper
Kira Kasarda came up with several important stops down the stretch, while the Cal Lutheran defense held strong to see out the victory.
The two teams finished even in shots at 13 apiece, with each putting six on target. Kasarda recorded five saves to help secure the win.
With the victory, Cal Lutheran finished the regular season 15-1-3 overall and an undefeated 10-0-2 in SCIAC play, earning the outright regular-season championship and the conference tournament's No. 1 seed. The Regals have now gone unbeaten through conference play for the first time since their 2023 national championship season, when they finished the year by capturing the program's first NCAA Division III title.
While the regular-season title is a major milestone, the Regals' sights are already set on what's next. Cal Lutheran will host the winner of Monday's play-in game between No. 4 Occidental and No. 5 Chapman in the SCIAC Tournament semifinals on Wednesday, November 4, at William Rolland Stadium. The Regals have already defeated both teams by multiple goals and will look to keep their championship run alive on their home field.
