THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran women's lacrosse battled to the final whistle on Senior Day, cutting a late deficit to one before ultimately falling 15-11 to Occidental on Saturday morning at William Rolland Stadium.
Facing the Tigers for the second time this season after a 21-8 loss back in February, Cal Lu showed just how much growth had taken place. This time, the Regals traded punches, surged back in the second half, and had the game within reach deep into the fourth quarter.
After falling behind 4-1 in the opening period, CLU settled in behind timely scoring and strong defensive stretches. Goals from
Nicki-Jean Henderson and
Josie Oparanaku early in the second helped trim the deficit, but Oxy used a late run to take a 9-4 lead into halftime.
The turning point came in the third quarter, however. The Regals delivered their strongest stretch of the day out of the break, outscoring the Tigers 5-2 and completely shifting the momentum.
Oparanaku opened the half with a man-down goal before
Madison Soforenko and
Sydney Shin helped fuel a relentless push. Shin's free-position goal in the closing minutes of the quarter brought Cal Lu within two at 11-9 heading into the final frame.
That fight carried over into the fourth. Oparanaku struck again to make it a two-goal game, and with just over 10 minutes remaining,
Sydnee Hill buried a man-up opportunity off a feed from Shin to cut the deficit to 12-11, the closest the Regals had been since the opening minutes.
But just as quickly, Oxy answered with the game's final three goals to regain control and hold off the late push, sealing the 15-11 decision.
Oparanaku led the way with four goals, closing her career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 113. Soforenko added three goals and an assist, while Shin capped a historic career with two goals and two assists, finishing atop the program record book in assists, points, ground balls, and draw controls. Hill and Henderson each contributed a goal, with Hill also adding an assist.
In goal,
Bella Bravo recorded 14 saves in a complete-game effort, putting the finishing touches on a record-setting career that saw her become CLU's all-time leader in saves with 675.
Saturday marked the final game for a senior class that helped lay the foundation for the program's future: Bravo, Hill, Shin, Oparanaku,
Miller Holland, and
Leila Bauwens. From rewriting the record books to helping build the culture of the program, their impact reaches far beyond the stat sheet.
While the 2026 season didn't end in the standings the way the Regals wanted, the fight they showed, especially in their final game, told a much more important story. Thanks to this senior class, Cal Lutheran's young program has something real to continue building upon.
