(SAN DIEGO)
Priya Torres gave No. 9 PLNU Women's Soccer a perfect start in its home opener against Cal State San Marcos on Saturday afternoon with a headed goal in the seventh minute.
But CSUSM answered back immediately to tie the game, as Point Loma was forced to settle for a 1-1 draw.
"We're certainly disappointed in the result for sure; you always play to win," Head Coach Kristi Kiey said. "I think the hard part is we probably weren't set up to be super successful this week with the travel and the opponents, but that's also what makes it fun – the tough lineup you can have on your schedule."
After Thursday night's 1-0 defeat at Seattle Pacific to open the season, PLNU flew back to San Diego on Friday and got back to campus in the afternoon.
Despite the long travel and quick turnaround, the Sea Lions started Saturday's game brightly and were rewarded just 6:27 into the match when Torres' header beat the keeper inside the far post off a
Kylie Garcia corner kick.
Their lead didn't hold up for long, however, as the Cougars leveled the match just seconds later off the kickoff.
"It really feels like growing pains," Kiely said. "The key word in there is growing. I hope that we'll continue to use the moments that are hard and challenging as moments to grow and learn from."
Torres' goal highlighted the growth mindset that Kiely hopes her team continues to embody going forward.
"Priya is very good in front of goal," Kiely said. "I think she was frustrated with a couple moments in the SPU game, so I was pumped for her to be able to score. That's the kind of growth you want; you're bummed in the moment against SPU but the learning then shows up in this game.
"We are process-oriented and believe it bears fruit eventually. We just have to continue to work in that way."
Point Loma pushed forward for a winner, with Garcia and
Maddy Saruwatari having shots from distance saved in the second half.
Nikki Ross' effort was then blocked out of play for a corner kick, which Torres rose up on and headed just wide of the right post.
In the final minute, PLNU mustered a couple shots but ultimately to no avail, as the Sea Lions were forced to share the spoils despite a 9-6 shot advantage and an 8-1 margin in corner kicks.
Point Loma hits the road again on Wednesday to play at Cal State LA (6:30 p.m.) before returning home to face off against No. 1 Cal Poly Pomona on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in a matchup between the last two national champions.
"We'll have some learning to do from this week, and we'll have to do that quickly because next week is going to be a great challenge," Kiely said.
