CLAREMONT, Calif. (Sept. 28, 2024) – Senior
Shayla Sakkakhanaune (Clovis, Calif. / Buchanan) of the Whittier College women's soccer team scored her first goal of the season in a competitive road game with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges on Saturday night.
Sakkakhanaune has now scored in three of her four seasons with the Poets. The goal came early in the second half as the Poets attempted to mount a comeback on the Athenas, a team that is sure to be on the shortlist of SCIAC contenders this season. From there, the Poets and Athenas struggled to the finish, with a would-be game-tying goal from senior midfielder
Juliana Hodgson (Fullerton, Calif. / Sunny Hills) sailing over the cross bar with 11 seconds to go.
Reigning SCIAC Defensive Athlete of the Week
Mya Rodriguez (Visalia, Calif. / El Diamante) made four saves for the Poets, and held the Athenas scoreless for the duration of the second half. In addition to Rodriguez, junior transfer
Jessie Bonsness (Santa Clarita, Calif. / Valencia) played the full 90 minutes as a difference maker on the wing for the Purple & Gold.
Saturday night's game marked the second in consecutive days for Whittier. The women's soccer team traveled to Aliso Viejo on Friday night to take on Soka University of America in a game where Head Coach
Derek Hanks mixed up the lineup and got some of his less experienced players some valuable experience against a quality team.
Head Coach
Derek Hanks and the Poets will begin an extended home stand on Wednesday, Oct. 2 when they host Caltech for a 7 p.m. SCIAC game.
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