THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.– On a clear night inside William Rolland Stadium, the California Lutheran University women's soccer team were dominant from start to finish in their 3-0 win over La Verne, extending their unbeaten streak to four games.
"I thought we did a good job setting the tone early in the first 25 minutes of the game," said Head Coach Frank Marino. "We came out and played some of the best soccer we've played in about two weeks. I was really pleased with how we started and it's always good to get a couple goals before halftime. We also did a really good job closing the game."
The Regals were the better team in nearly every offensive category as they held the advantage in the shot column (14-4) as well as corner kicks (5-1).
The hosts came out with a very direct approach in the early minutes, passing the ball quickly with clear intent to push the pace of play.
The early pressure from Cal Lutheran led to a corner in the 12th minute. Alexandra Fagerberg was chosen to deliver the set piece and her cross found the head of Maddy Griess, who was just beyond the penalty spot. Her thumping header was hit with great pace, beating the Leopards' goalkeeper and finding its way into the back of the net to give the Regals an early 1-0 lead.
After dishing out an assist, this time it was Fagerberg providing the finishing touch when Mandy Crawford sent her through on goal in the 17th minute. The freshman did very well to slip a pass in behind the defense and Fagerberg showed her speed to get on the end of it and then showed her composure in front of goal as she slotted her chance home, doubling the CLU lead.
The Regals continued to create fantastic scoring opportunities in the first half, but were unable to find a third goal before the halftime whistle.
Sealing the three points for the home side in the 66th minute, Crawford showed her class, rounding the keeper and calmly finishing her shot into the back after an inch-perfect through ball from Katie Weaver on the back line. This would extend the hosts lead to 3-0 and they would comfortably cruise to the full-time whistle with a clean sheet.
The defensive back line of Zandra Stewart, Trinity Martinez, Aly Legrand and Weaver were rarely tested all night, but were able to stifle any attacking opportunities by the Leopards.
The goalkeeping duo of Alexa Soto and Gabby Flores remained solid between the posts as they each made a save on the night.
Tallying shots on goal for the Regals were Danielle Vis, Sam Cornejo, Isabella Veljacic (3), Griess (2), Fagerberg and Crawford.
Cal Lutheran will reset for a quick turnaround on Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. when they host Occidental for another SCIAC matchup, looking for back-to-back wins.
Box Score: CLU 3, LV 0
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Release by Jeff Rebello, Assistant Sports Information Director