Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. (Oct. 30, 2021) – The Whittier College women's soccer team closed out the 2021 season with an epic battle against California Lutheran University on Saturday night, the SCIAC's second-place team heading into the upcoming postseason tournament.

The Poets fought tooth an nail to gain an advantage over the Regals, but had their best scoring opportunities snuffed out by the visiting team. However, they were able to return the favor on a number of occasions. Goalkeeper Vanessa Martinez (La Mirada, Calif. / Fullerton) had a career night, stopping 12 of 13 shots with nearly every type of save imaginable, some of which came on a flurry towards the end of full time that resulted in three shots on goal for the Regals. Nevertheless, Martinez and the Poets' defense stood tall, forcing one of the SCIAC's top teams to try their luck in overtime while empowering their attacking options to find seams in the exhausted Cal Lutheran defense.

The speed and athleticism of the Whittier forwards proved to be a mismatch for the Regals in spots, as freshmen Layla Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Oak) and Elizabeth Roybal (West Covina, Calif. / South Hills) each found equally solid scoring chances in the second overtime period. The Poets surprised the Regals with a burst of energy coming out of the short break between overtime periods, as both Traylor and Roybal earned one-on-one opportunities against the opposing goalkeeper. However, both shots fell within range of the keeper, forcing the two teams to play on until Cal Lutheran broke the tie with just over a minute to go in the game. Prior to the game, Whittier's three seniors, Aidan Anderson (Anacortes, Wash. / Oak Harbor), Janelle Guzman (Montebello, Calif. / Schurr) and Joey Wescott (Agoura Hills, Calif. / Agoura Hills) were recognized for their contributions to the program.

The Poets close out the 2021 campaign after a year off due to the COVID-19 pandemic set up terrificly for future years. All four of the team's victories came against conference opponents, and the win total is an improvement on the 2019 season where the Poets won three SCIAC games. With just three members of the 2021 roster set to graduate, the Poets could boast one of the deepest rosters in the conference in 2022 as they look to get back into SCIAC Postseason Tournament contention.

Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), Facebook, YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!