A penalty kick by Alison Hensley in the first half was all that No. 3 Westmont Women’s Soccer (12-0-3, 6-0-2 GSAC) needed to claim a 1-0 Golden State Athletic Conference road win at San Diego Christian (8-6-1, 2-5-1) on Saturday afternoon. It was Hensley’s team-leading fifth goal of the season.
“It was exactly what we thought it would be – a very difficult place to play with a lot of people on one half (of the field),” said Westmont head coach Kristi Kiely.
The game’s lone goal came in the 33rd minute.
“Kaci Mexico ended up behind (San Diego Christian’s) back line,” described Kiely, “and had a one-on-one with the keeper. A defender caught up with Kaci and fouled her from behind in the box. The defender was issued a red card and Alison scored the penalty kick.”
The Warriors outshot the Hawks 12-4 and posted a 5-2 advantage of shots on goal.
With two games remaining on the schedule, the Warriors are in second place in the GSAC standings with 20 points (three points for a win, one for a tie). Two points ahead of them in first place is #11 Concordia (12-0-3, 7-0-1). Concordia defeated Biola (8-7-1, 2-5-1) by a score of 2-0 to maintain its place atop the standings.
In third place is #6 Vanguard (13-2, 6-2) with 18 points. Vanguard recorded a 2-1 victory over Hope International (3-10-3, 1-6-1). #15 The Master’s (13-3, 5-3), who defeated Arizona Christian (2-14, 0-8) by a 3-0 score, is in fourth place with 15 points. The top four teams in the conference, all of whom are ranked, have a combined record of 24-5-3. All five of the losses are to each other.
Next week, the Warriors will conclude the regular season with two home games. On Tuesday, Westmont will host Hope International at three o’clock and then take on Vanguard on Saturday at noon. Wins in both of those games will guarantee the Warriors at least second place and the second seed in the upcoming GSAC Championship.
