WHITTIER, Calif. (Sept. 5, 2024) – Junior defender Emma Tumbarello (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. / Rancho Cucamonga) of the Whittier College women's soccer team led a strong Poet back line in keeping visiting La Sierra University off the scoreboard in Thursday's home opener.

The Poets hit the Golden Eagles quickly in the beginning of the game, creating several chances behind the shots of junior Alanis Cervantes (La Habra, Calif. / La Habra) and sophomore Madeline Traylor (Covina, Calif. / Charter Oak). Traylor, last year's SCIAC Newcomer of the Year, came away with the Poets' best scoring chance of the game when she took a well-timed ball from her sister, Layla Traylor on a nice run, using her speed to separate. However, the shot went right of the net, ultimately preventing the Poets from coming away victorious in the first game of the 2024 campaign.

Cervantes, along with freshman forward Jessica Jensen (Las Vegas, Nev. / Liberty), continued to threaten throughout the game, but with the Purple & Gold set for three games in four days all under the conditions of historic California heat, Head Coach Derek Hanks used the opener as an opportunity to experiment up and down the lineup. Nevertheless, the women's soccer team still showed what it can be capable of offensively, largely keeping the Golden Eagles on their heels for the game's first 20 minutes.

Hanks and the Poets will now pivot to their first NCAA opponent, Concordia University Texas tomorrow night, Friday, Sept. 6. at 7 p.m.

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