(POMONA, Calif.) A penalty kick goal from Alana Diaz in the 18th minute was all that PLNU Women's Soccer needed in a 1-0 road victory against Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday.
 
"I'm very proud of the group today," PLNU Head Coach Kristi Kiely said. "Pomona is a hard place to come and play. They're a tough opponent and the conditions were tough today, so to get a win was an important step in the process."
 
Diaz, who led the team with six goals a season ago, scored her first of the season with what proved to be the game winner.
 
"Naomi Ellis stepped to win a ball, Alana stepped to win the second and then came with it and took off," Kiely said. "It was a well-earned PK."
 
The Sea Lions outshot the Broncos in both halves, 7-4 in the first half and 6-3 in the second, but were unable to tack on a second goal.
 
That wasn't a problem for PLNU, whose stellar defense earned the team its first shutout of the campaign. Freshman goalkeeper Julia Pinnell claimed the first shutout of her Sea Lion career.
 
"Our backs were much sharper today and I'm glad we earned the clean sheet," Kiely said. "Julia had two important saves."
 
With the return of two-time PacWest Defender of the Year Lauren O'Malley, defense was expected to be a strength for a team that did not concede multiple goals in a single game all last season. But Kiely is seeing progress in her team's chance creation.
 
"We will continue to work on being more clinical in front of goal, but we are creating good chances," Kiely said.
 
After playing its first road game of the season, Point Loma (2-0 overall) returns home for a grudge match against No. 10 Western Washington (1-0-1 overall) on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Western Washington has eliminated PLNU in each of the last two postseasons, both by 1-0 margins.