(SAN DIEGO) Be feral.
That's been the mindset of PLNU Women's Soccer this season and it paid off in a 2-0 win over Concordia on Saturday afternoon that advanced Point Loma to the NCAA West Regional Championship.
The Sea Lions were ruthless in the opening segment of the game, scoring twice in the first 15 minutes to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
A moment of magic from
Nicki Friedman put the region's top seed ahead in just the fifth minute, before
Bethany Arabe doubled PLNU's lead 10 minutes later.
Friedman acrobatically brought down a
Naomi Ellis cross with an exquisite first touch, showing tremendous composure and slotting into the far corner to put the Sea Lions in front.
Then in the 15th minute,
Mackenzie Kimmel blocked a clearance and the ball went straight into the air with multiple people converging. The CUI goalkeeper couldn't corral it and the ball then fell straight to the feet of Arabe, who made no mistake with her finish.
"Something we've been working on this season is being desperate in the box as an attacking group, being desperate to get the ball into the back of the net," Arabe said. "We create a lot of chances but what matters is that final push, so it's cool to see that hard work pay off for all of us in the front line."
Julia Pinnell made a tremendous save in the 26th minute and made three total in the first half to maintain Point Loma's two-goal cushion.
Then in the second half,
Alana Diaz nearly chipped the goalie from outside the box as Point Loma continued to push forward for a third.
And while the Sea Lions never added to the scoresheet, their attacking mentality relieved pressure on its own goal and helped to limit chances at the other end for the Golden Eagles.
"We've been working on being persistent and always going at people," Diaz said. "We are confident girls to take on people and we've really stepped into that role. Not letting our foot off the gas is super important.
"We had the mindset of being down a goal still, even though we were up. It's that mindset of being absolutely feral and going for that win no matter what. It takes what it takes and we're willing to put in the work for that."
Pinnell made another crucial save in the second half to preserve the shutout, PLNU's ninth of the season.
"It was a really gutsy one," Head Coach
Kristi Kiely said of the performance. "Obviously, we were thankful to have the bye from Thursday. We've been working hard for that. That certainly helped a good deal but I thought the ladies played well in all the ways we asked them to.
"I thought we picked it up in the second half in the ways that we've been working on. I was proud of their ability to recover and do the things we set out to do at the beginning of the match."
The win avenges a 1-0 PacWest-opening loss against CUI back on Sep. 23, as Concordia had won three-straight between the two teams.
"They'd gotten the better part of us for the last three games and we certainly had that in the back of our minds," Kiely said. "We also stepped into the match playing the way that we want to play while recognizing the things that they bring and trying to overpower them with what we bring.
"Maybe it was those three games that led us to this moment but there was a heavy mentality heading into it. Credit to them, they've been a really good side all year."
As the top seed in the region, the Sea Lions earned the right to host the regional for the first time in program history and benefitted from a sizable home crowd in attendance.
"It's honestly a dream come true," defender
Emma Thrapp said of hosting the regional. "This is something that this team has been working for, this group of seniors. We've always been so close to hosting and always seemed to come up in third.
"This year we didn't know if it was going to happen, but with the determination and persistence of this group it happened. The fans all year have been so great. It was a super big blessing and we're thankful for everyone who came out."
Point Loma (13-3-1 overall) will now take on second-seeded Seattle Pacific in the West Regional Championship in Grand Junction, Colorado on Nov. 30 at 1 p.m. PT / 2 p.m. MT.
The winner of PLNU and SPU will advance to the national quarterfinals on Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. MT.
"We're absolutely stoked and excited for what's next," Diaz said. "We're one game at a time and we finished this game strong, but it's onto the next for us. Collectively, we all have the mindset of staying feral and continuing that throughout the entire season."
