THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Cal Lutheran women's soccer team took care of business in the First Round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship with a 2-0 win over the Banana Slugs of UC Santa Cruz Saturday night inside William Rolland Stadium.
UC Santa Cruz threatened in the 15th minute when Olivia Leyva was forced to clear a shot off the goal line to keep the score level.
After a first half that featured very few scoring opportunities, the teams would head into the break with the score tied 0-0.
The Regals came out on the attack to start the second half when they won a corner. Bri Pinal delivered the cross to Kali Youngdahl who nearly scored but her headed-effort was saved by the Banana Slugs' goalkeeper Allie Mandel.
Cal Lutheran took the lead in 78th minute when Sarah Tadeusiak sent Alexandra Fagerberg through on goal and she slotted the ball just inside the left post to make the score 1-0.
The Violet and Gold doubled their lead right before the end of the match when Youngdahl launched a shot from well outside the box to beat the goalkeeper and solidify the victory and a spot in the round of 32.
The defensive backline was stellar for the Regals as they held UC Santa Cruz to just one shot on the night. Tessa Dwyer, Zandra Stewart, Trinity Martinez and Leyva were in control the whole match due to their strong play in the defensive third of the pitch.
Youngdahl led the way with three shots on goal. Jordan Miller, Tadeusiak, Fagerberg and Leyva each tallied a one of their own. The Cal Lutheran offense was dominant as they out-shot the Banana Slugs 14-1.
Cal Lutheran (16-3-2) advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament where they will play Pacific Lutheran University. The game will be played Sunday night at 7 p.m. inside William Rolland Stadium.
Box Score: CLU 2, UCSC 0
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director; Jeff Rebello, Student Intern