After the Regals victory over Chapman in the SCIAC semi-finals, the California Lutheran University women’s soccer team were unable to beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the tournament championship on Nov. 9.

Chapman played a tough game even after losing the first two previous matchups.

“They brought a little more effort than last time. Last time, there wasn’t much on the line for them, this time around they knew it was win or go home,” said Yahaira Hernandez, junior defender for the Regals.

Neither team was able to score a goal during the first half of the game in the first round.

“[Assistant coach] Shannon [Pennington] always says, ‘Win one half at a time.’ During the first half, we knew there was more pressure in the second half to get the job done and send this team home,” said Brittany Eremita, sophomore midfielder.

CLU came out stronger after half time, taking 13 shots on goal. In the 56th minute, junior forward Taylor Will scored the first and only goal of the game.

The Regals’ aggresive moves worked against them as it resulted in two injuries. Senior midfielder Bailey Marquez was taken out of the game at the end of the first half and junior midfielder Nancy Nunez was examined on the sidelines after colliding heads with a Chapman player.

“I think we were going really hard. The good thing about this team is we sacrifice no matter what and we leave it all out on the field. I think we wanted it more and are willing to sacrifice for it,” said Chelsea Braudo, junior defender.

In a fight for the SCIAC championship title, both CLU and CMS brought their A-game.

In the first half, the teams were evenly matched with several opportunities to score. CMS came out aggressive as two yellow cards were issued to its players in the 35th and 42nd minute.

By the end of the first half, the teams were tied 0-0 with CLU outshooting Claremont 7-4.

“I think we came out really nervous, which is understandable, but I think we needed to start connecting sooner,” said Anna Medler, senior defender.

Seven minutes into the second half, CMS’s defender Lauren Allen made the goal that would upset the Regals. Allen got the ball through a group of CLU defenders following a corner kick.

Senior defender Stephanie Gilbert almost tied it up as she slid past the Athenas defense and took a shot that spun off the goalpost.

CMS stifled other attacks and  came out victorious with a score of 1-0, earning them an automatic bid in to the NCAA tournament.

“CMS made the most out of the chances they had, so give them a ton of credit,” said Frank Marino, head coach of the Regals. “They [CLU] played hard and they probably deserve to win the game. I’m proud of how they played.”

“It’s been a fun run and hopefully stuff can turn out our way on Monday,” Medler said.

Meddler’s hopes were answered as CLU earned an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament and will host the first and second round games. They open against the University of Puget Sound at 5 p.m. on Nov. 16 in the William Rolland Stadium.

Alesandria Posada
Staff Writer
Published Nov. 13, 2013