Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – Senior Day 2013 was spoiled Saturday afternoon as the Whittier College women's soccer team saw the Athena's of Claremont-M-S use a big second half to pull off the 2-1 victory.
Prior to the game, Head Coach Monica Gerardo recognized her six seniors who were taking part in their final game of their collegiate career. These seniors included Shanna Falch (Doylestown, PA), Ashlin Steele (Escondido, Calif.), Rosemarie Orlando (San Pedro, Calif.), Danielle Kwasniowski (Las Vegas, Calif.), Kirsten Davis (Hilo, HI), and Elizabeth Cook (Zionsville, IN).
Claremont-M-S got on the board first with a goal in the 20th minute from Isabel Lester who placed a cross in front of poet keeper Falch that found the far post.
After nearly twenty minutes of scoreless soccer, Whittier would catch a break in the 43rd minute when Kaela Reisfelt (Castaic, Calif.) took a strike into the box that deflected off of a CMS defender and into the goal that knotted the game up right before the half.
Out of the break, CMS played more aggressively on the offensive side of the ball taking 10 shots but managed to find the back of the goal on just one of them that came seven minutes into the frame from Elizabeth Augustine who carried a ball from Samantha Kunz into the box, which she finished to the far post putting the Athena's in front, which they would hold onto for the final 33 minutes.
CMS outshot the poets 18-8 and held a 6-3 advantage on corner kicks. Madison Shipherd (Whittier, Calif.) led the Poet offensive unit with two shots along with Davis and Orlando, while Reisfelt and Steele each took a shot apiece.
Despite just the one victory on the season Gerardo is looking towards the fall of 2014 for her program to make an impact in SCIAC with starters Shipherd, Courtney Maddux (Huntington Beach, Calif.), Ashley Stanford (Walnut, Calif.), Reisfelt, Dana Bergstrom (Riverside, Calif.), Rachel Inouye (Hawaii Kai, HI) and Alexi Cruz (Long Beach, Calif.) returning.
