LOS ANGELES - Just like a highly anticipated pitchers' duel the first round of the NCAA West Regional matched up two of the best defensive teams in the region, and of course the match became a slugfest in which the No. 6 seed Point Loma women's soccer team found itself on the short end of a 3-2 loss to No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, Nov. 13.
Both teams traded goals in the first half and early in the second half but it was the final goal with just 20 seconds left on the clock that will leave a bitter taste in the Sea Lions' mouths all offseason. It started with two minutes left in the second half when CPP had a great look at the goal but the shot went wide and all the Sea Lions exhaled in their relief as extra time looked imminent.
However, the Broncos were not satisfied to go to overtime and kept the attack on. PLNU goalie Ariel Oriarte made a great sliding save on a shot with just over a minute to go to keep the match tied but CPP stayed on the attack. After PLNU cleared the ball back into the midfield Cal Poly Pomona put the ball back into the box and the Sea Lions were unable to clear it as Ali Sauve got behind the defense for the game-winner and her second goal of the match.
"You have to credit Pomona," PLNU head coach Tim Hall explained. "They outworked us the last 20-25 minutes of the match. Our girls sold it all out but today Pomona had a little more than we did in the last 20-25 minutes and it showed."
Sauve put CPP (14-5-1) on the board in the sixth minute on a header and they led until late in the half.
Amanda Mitchell gave PLNU the equalizer in the 40th minute to post the first goal in Pacific West Conference history. With Point Loma down 1-0 Shelby Murphy took a corner kick and put it on the head of Tara Kracy in the box. Kracy knocked it out to Mitchell who was waiting just outside of the scrum for an open shot which she put into the left side of the net for her second goal of the season.
The match was tied 1-1 at the half before the Broncos broke the tie with a goal in the 51st minute. Kracy then provided the second equalizing goal for the Sea Lions right after Cal Poly Pomona had taken back the lead at 2-1. Kracy was in the right place at the right time as the Broncos failed to clear the ball. She collected the miss pass just outside the top of the box and rocketed it into the upper left of the net for the goal. It was Kracy's third goal of the season.
"Our girls showed a lot of grit to come back two different times," Hall explained. "It takes a lot out of you. It was a good, strong, hard college soccer game. We gave up a really bad first goal that put us under a little."
Stats on both sides were fairly even. CPP outshot PLNU 12-11 but the Sea Lions edged the Broncos in corner kicks 5-4. However, the Sea Lions did not get as good of looks in the second half as it had only two shots, and just one on goal (the Kracy score), after getting nine shots in the first half (five on goal). Oriarte made two saves for Point Loma and Ricki Ives had four for Cal Poly Pomona.
"At the end of the day Pomona had more energy in the last 20-25 minutes when it counted the most and that is why they came out on top," Hall added.
The Sea Lions end their season as the PacWest Champions. They went 12-4-1 on the season and 11-0-1 in PacWest play.
"It was an incredible year and the PacWest Championship can never be taken from us," said Hall. "It has been a very good year and it has to end sometime, we were just hoping it would have been later. This match takes nothing away from the rest of the year. The girls fought hard and earned it. I am really proud of this team."