BELLINGHAM, Wash. — With a 1-0 win over Cal Baptist Thursday afternoon, Sonoma State is moving on to the second round of the NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship Tournament, to take on defending National Champion Western Washington.
After playing to a scoreless draw in the first half, Sonoma State implemented a change in strategy at the break to find the go-ahead goal in the second.
"Cal Baptist was holding kind of a high line and they didn't have any cover," recalled Head Coach Emiria Salzmann Dunn. "So, we were just trying to relieve some pressure and go in behind to let some of the pace and legs that we had up top, help us out."
A direct attacking style lead to the play that proved the difference in the match: a long cross into the box by Madison Watts.
From the left side of the field Watts sent a cross to the edge of the six-yard line where Sarah Lindborg was waiting. As the cross fell back post, Lindborg jumped up over a defender to put a head on the ball and send it looping over the goalkeeper Sara Escobedo inside the opposite upright.
Both defenses largely minimized scoring opportunities throughout the game, as each side was limited to five or fewer shots in the first half, and only prompted four saves by each keeper through the entirety of the match. For her performance in goal, Kristen Spear earned her tenth clean sheet of the year, improving to a 0.73 goals against average in 2017.
The 1-0 shutout of the Lancers marks just the second NCAA Tournament win for Sonoma State in the past 19 years, and is the first since their 2015 defeat of Point Loma in the first round.
"I can't say enough about this team," added the Seawolves' head coach. "At this point in the season it's about finding ways to win and we did that today. They dug deep and gritted it out and that's what it takes. We have a massive game on Saturday and now we have to rest, recover and prepare."
With the win, Sonoma State moves on to face the host, and defending National Champion Western Washington Vikings in round two, Saturday at 1pm.
NCAA Division II Interactive Tournament Bracket
