WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College women's soccer team kept pushing until the final whistle Sunday morning at Memorial Stadium.
Victoria Martinez scored her first goal as a Poet,
Annabelle Allison picked up an assist and Whittier created chances throughout the second half in a 2-1 loss to Marian University.
The result was Whittier's first loss of the season after opening the year with back-to-back wins over Pacific Union and Concordia University.
The Poets got off to a strong start and found the first goal of the match in the 14th minute.
Allison helped create the chance and found Martinez, who finished the opening goal to give Whittier a 1-0 lead. The goal was Martinez's first in a Poets uniform, while Allison recorded the assist.
Martinez stayed active throughout the morning, finishing with a team-high four shots and putting two on goal. Allison added two shots, including one on frame, while
Samantha Soto also put one shot on target off the bench.
Marian tied the match late in the first half, scoring in the 44th minute to send the game into halftime even at 1-1.
Whittier continued to look for the go-ahead goal after the break. The Poets outshot Marian 9-6 in the second half and finished the match with a 14-12 advantage in total shots.
Jaidyn Aceves gave Whittier two shots off the bench, while
Danielle Bard,
Audrey Burgmaier,
Vivian Martinez and
Mia Mascioni each added one. The Poets also earned four corner kicks, including two in each half.
Marian moved in front in the 60th minute, but Whittier kept pressing over the final 30 minutes.
The Poets generated several looks in the second half and continued to put pressure on the Sabres' back line, but could not find the equalizer.
Sofia Lopez played all 90 minutes in goal for Whittier and made four saves. She stopped two shots in each half and helped keep the Poets within one throughout the final stretch.
Whittier's defensive group also logged another full morning of work.
Mia Cordova played 74 minutes,
Bella Lechuga added 73,
Aleena Galvan played 79 and
Logan Bays logged 69.
Tove Karlsson started and played 42 minutes, while
Vivian Martinez came off the bench to play the full second half.
Although the result did not go Whittier's way, the Poets still produced another balanced effort and created enough chances to stay in the match until the end.
Whittier continues its six-game season-opening homestand on Monday, September 7, against Pacific University. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Memorial Stadium.
