IRVINE, Calif. – Bethany Arabe threaded a shot from the corner of the field between the corner of the post and the goalkeeper's outstretched hand for a golden goal, lifting Point Loma to an overtime 2-1 win over Concordia on Wednesday for a road win.
 
Each team scored once in the second half, forcing two sudden death overtime periods, but it didn't take long for that golden goal to come. Lauren O'Malley stole a pass in Point Loma's half of the field, she dribbled over the left side of the field and moved comfortably into the Eagles' half. The Preseason PacWest Defender of the Year then passed the ball up the line to Arabe in the corner of the field.
 
"Lauren was tremendous for us," head coach Kristi Kiely said. "She saw an opportunity for us. It was an aggressive and good moment."
 
Arabe then dribbled out of the corner toward the box. By the time she got to the edge of the box, she created just enough space between herself and her defender to take a sharp-angled shot. Without much margin to work with, she placed the ball perfectly over the reach of the goalkeeper's outstretched hands, curling the shot into the right side of the net for the game-winner.
 
"It was an absolutely brilliant goal, and it was fun to see her get a reward for her work," Kiely said. "She had a wonderful game against Western Washington and has had a lot of good moments this year, so it was fun to see her get rewarded for her creativity, grit and determination."
 
It was a timely first career goal for Arabe, helping the Sea Lions improve to 5-0-1 on the season. Concordia is now 1-3-2 after facing a very tough schedule to open the season. Both teams will likely both be contenders for the PacWest title this season as the top-2 teams in the PacWest Preseason Poll, and they will face each other again in Point Loma on Senior Day for the Sea Lions, November 11.
 
"I thought it was a competitive game, and I'm proud of the girls to walk away with the win," Kiely said. "We always love a good game. Concordia is always a really good opponent."
 
Point Loma scored the first goal of the match in the 65^th minute. Makenna Herrero sent a perfect pass on the ground into the box, drawing the goalkeeper out of the net. Diaz was the first to get past the ball and settled it on the baseline, she passed to Mara Sovde, whose shot was blocked out of bounds leading to a corner kick.
 
Emma Thrapp took the corner kick and sent it to the far post. A couple of Sea Lions got their head on the ball before Jillian Tubbs scored the pinball goal to take a 1-0 lead. Diaz was credited with the assist on the goal, which was her second assist this season. For Tubbs, it was the true freshman's first career goal.
 
"It was great for Jillian to get her first college goal," Kiely said. "She has been training well and anything in the box takes a lot of grittiness. In a game that maybe wasn't our prettiest, to be able to get a gritty goal was what the day needed."
 
In the 79^th minute, the Eagles evened the score. After a foul, Concordia set up for a free kick from just over 40 meters away from the goal. PacWest Preseason Player of the Year Jadenn Carrillo took the free kick and shot directly for the goal, scoring into the right side just off the goalkeeper's finger tips.
 
Carrillo attempted one more shot in regulation, but she missed high sending the match into overtime. The Eagles created the first chance to shoot, but missed high. Arabe didn't waste the Sea Lions' first chance making a goal with a high degree of difficulty when her team needed it most.
 
In the end, the Eagles outshot the Sea Lions, 14-10, with six of those shots being in goal. Hinson had another impressive performance in goal for PLNU, making five saves. A crowd of 141 fans were in attendance at Concordia University Irvine for the non-conference match.
 
"We have been on the road for four games straight," Kiely said. "To come out of this four-game miniseries on the road with three wins and a tie makes us proud. It takes a lot out of you emotionally and physically. We are looking forward to being home in front of our fans again."
 
The Sea Lions will return to conference play on Saturday with an 11:30 a.m. home match against Academy of Art. Point Loma enters that match with a 10-match unbeaten streak overall and a 28-match unbeaten streak in PacWest competitions.