After a gameless two weeks full of concentrated and intense training, the #7 Warriors (2-1) stepped onto Thorrington Field prepared and eager to take on the Claremont- Mudd- Scripps Athenas (1-1-1). After a few early goals in a tense first half, the Warriors eventually established their dominance in the second half and defeated the Athenas 4-2.
The first goal of the game came in the 5th minute when CMS forward, Katelyn Faust took a powerful shot from outside of the 18 yard line on the left side of the field to score in the upper right hand corner of the goal.
The Warriors quickly answered in the 7th minute with a goal of their own when Jackie Lopez played the ball to a composed Brooke Lillywhite, who quickly cracked a driven shot from the top of the 18 yard line to even the score.
Literally, 27 seconds later in the 8th minute, the Athenas reclaimed their lead when Faust scored another goal on a driven shot from outside of the goal box, only this time from the right side of the field.
Though down by one, the Warriors were not without hope; they proved to be resilient as they continued to pressure the Athenas defensive line.
This resiliency payed off when senior forward Kaitlyn Swift scored her first goal of the season in the 24th minute as she fought through a crowded goal box full of CMS defenders and managed to fire a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal to make the score 2-2.
In the first half, the Warriors scrambled to match each Athena goal, but in the second half the Athenas did the scrambling, as they could hardly hold back the Warriors, who took nine shots on goal in the second half to take a 2 goal lead.
Senior, Kelsey Steck gave the Warriors their first lead of the game in the 55th minute when she converted a CMS defensive miss-clear into a one touch, left footed shot that soared into the side netting of the left side of the goal.
The Warrior’s final goal occurred in the 80th minute when Haley Parzonko sent a perfectly placed and weighted cross into the six yard box to Steck, who, with poise, slipped the ball past the CMS keeper.
Throughout the second half the Warrior defense held the Athenas to only 4 shots on goal. Namely, center back and senior Angela Brown, provided a composure and consistency in the defensive line that allowed the offense to thrive.
Chantel Cappuccilli was proud of the team’s overall performance and grit as she shared her thoughts about the game. She said, “We are happy we were able to score four goals. Again we are continuing to look for the shutout but are ultimately happy that we were able to come back from behind twice. I think we had a lot more momentum in our attacking third this game and it was great to see some of the dynamic movement in the attack. I saw a level of confidence and composure from the women today.”
The Warriors will travel to Aliso Miguel next Wednesday to play Soka University.
