(SAN DIEGO) Two-time PacWest Defender of the Year Lauren O'Malley knows what it takes to win, having been an All-Conference player on three-straight PacWest championship teams.
O'Malley did a bit of everything on Saturday to make sure the No. 16 Sea Lions came on the right side of a 2-0 scoreline against Azusa Pacific. She assisted on the opening goal and anchored a backline that kept a shutout, helping Point Loma improve to 9-1-2 overall (4-0 PacWest).
"I thought Lauren carried us today," Head Coach Kristi Kiely said. "She willed the first goal to happen. She was strong defensively, verbally, mentally and physically. She set the tone and didn't let us drop. That kind of leadership is what you need at this point in the season."
After Kiely admitted APU controlled the opening part of the match, O'Malley played an integral part in Zoe Crockett's opening goal late in the first half.
Lauren O'Malley played Jillian Tubbs wide right and kept her forward run going. Tubbs then slipped O'Malley through toward the byline, where she squared a cross toward Crockett, who converted at the near post in the 42nd minute.
"At that point, I wouldn't say it was totally against the run of play but certainly against the momentum," Kiely said of Crockett's goal. "I thought we had a bit more of the ball at that point in the game but I still don't think we had the momentum. The goal was a huge shift for us."
It didn't take Point Loma nearly as long in the second half to find the back of the net, with
Alison Pepper doubling PLNU's advantage in the 63rd minute.
Midfielder
Lily Paulson spun away from her defender before sliding a perfectly-weighted through ball to Pepper, who held her run long enough to beat APU's offside trap. Pepper then dribbled toward the goalkeeper and calmly slotted it home.
Both Crockett and Pepper also scored in PLNU's 2-1 win over Biola on Wednesday.
"Zoe just needs to be involved in important moments; that is when she rises," Kiely said of the freshman forward who is second on the team with five goals this season. "It is so fun to watch a freshman who isn't bothered by that pressure or that moment. She is up for it.
"Pep has just been solid this week. She has had a really, really good week and I am really proud of her for that. She has handled moments with composure, handling the moments the way you hope a senior would."
Late in the second half, midfielder
Mara Sovde cleared a ball off the goal line to preserve the shutout.
"I thought our backs were great," Kiely said. "Credit to our team, the entire back line and Julia (Pinnell). They did a good job today dealing with what they threw at us."
PLNU will next look to get revenge on the team who gave the Sea Lions their only loss of the season, Concordia, who defeated PLNU 2-1 on Sep. 21. The two teams will square off in Irvine on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
"We know that going to Concordia is a very difficult thing to do. We still have last month's result in our head," Kiely said. "I hope that helps us with a bit of motivation but we also want to just continue to get better and grow."
