After giving up a goal in the fourth minute of the game, Westmont women’s soccer locked horns with the Mustangs of The Master’s with neither team scoring for the next 86 minutes. With just 33 seconds left in regulation, Jessica Zuehlsdorf delivered the equalizer to send the game into overtime.
The Warriors (6-7-1, 4-5 GSAC) have a gone into overtime in their last four games. Last week the Warrior defeated then second-ranked Azusa Pacific and Hope International in overtime games. However, today’s contest did not provide the same reward that last week’s games had to offer. In the seventh minute of the second overtime, Emily Bruton scored on a breakaway to give the Mustangs (12-4-1, 5-4 GSAC) a 2-1 win.
“It was certainly an exciting game, but really disappointing,” said Westmont Associate Head Coach Kristi Kiely. “The team came back from being down for most of the game. I thought the first half wasn’t very good at all. They didn’t work hard and they didn’t complete the simple things. The second half, they picked it up. They came out very hard and did very well. They are definitely a team that fights to the end.”
The Mustangs’ first goal was scored by Andie Reyes who received a pass from Rachel Hartenberger and shot from the right side of the goal to the far post. Westmont goalkeeper Roxanne Love got her hands on the shot but could not control the ball which had enough top spin to hit the ground and bounce into the net.
Westmont’s goal came with the Warriors pressing to score before time expired. Jameisha Washington passed a ball across the face of the goal from right to left. Zuehlsdorf settled the pass and fired off a shot that found the left side of the net.
With one game to go in the Golden State Athletic Conference schedule, Westmont is currently in eighth place in the GSAC standings. Depending on what happens in the rest of the conference, the Warriors will be either the seventh or eighth seed in the GSAC postseason tournament which begins next week.
If the Warriors finish as the number eight seed, they will play at #3 Azusa Pacific in the first round. If Westmont defeats #6 Vanguard on Saturday and Fresno Pacific losses both to Azusa Pacific tonight and to Point Loma Nazarene on Saturday, Westmont will be the number seven seed against an undetermined opponent.
Saturday’s game against Vanguard will be played in Costa Mesa at three o’clock.
