CLAREMONT, Calif.– Cal Lutheran was pitted against a nationally-ranked opponent, No. 8 Pomona-Pitzer, in the SCIAC Postseason Tournament Championship and the talented Sagehens performed up to their standards as they defeated the Regals 3-0.
The hosts proved to be the dominant team on the offensive end, out-shooting CLU 23-7 on the day. Pomona-Pitzer also used set pieces to their advantage, winning nine corner kicks in the match while Cal Lutheran won just one.
The Sagehens came out on the front foot and grabbed an early goal in the 5th minute. Bria VarnBuhler, the SCIAC Athlete of the Year, headed home a cross to open the scoring.
Cal Lutheran momentarily found their footing in the match when Alexandra Fagerberg attempted a volley from the edge of the penalty area in the 11thminute and lifted it just over the crossbar.
However, the Sagehens doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Chole Hamer lofted a cross that would find its way into the corner of the net to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
The Regals struggled to find a rhythm offensively as most of their scoring chances came from outside the box.
With a steep hill to climb, CLU looked lively to start the second half as Danielle Vis and Fagerberg started linking up with Mandy Crawford up top to create some more scoring opportunities.
Unfortunately, Pomona-Pitzer netted a third goal in the 50th minute through VarnBuhler to put the game out of reach.
Tallying shots on goal for the Regals were Cate Boller, Mackenzie Boulware, Sam Cornejo, Kylie Garcia and Fagerberg.
Cal Lutheran will await the decision of the NCAA selection committee to find out if they earned an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is set for Nov. 11 at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PST).
Box Score: CLU 0, PP 3
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Release by Jeff Rebello, Assistant Sports Information Director
