BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Forward
Taylar Sklar continued the torrid start to her senior season, scoring two early goals to lead the Cal State Bakersfield women's soccer team to a 5–1 win over Fresno Pacific University Monday evening on the CSUB Main Soccer Field.
Monday's brace comes on the heels of a hat trick in Saturday's season–opening win against The Master's College, giving the Bakersfield striker five goals for the season. Her season–high was eight goals in 2005 and she is way ahead of pace to shatter Nicole Van Dyke's Roadrunner record of 17 goals in 2000.
Van Dyke is enjoying Sklar's early–season run, however, as the scoring outburst has helped the former Roadrunner playing legend win her first two matches as head coach at her alma mater.
FPU (0–1) came out strong, sustaining pressure for the first five minutes of the game. The Roadrunners (2–0) wrested control of the match inside of the 10–minute mark, however, and soon took the lead when Sklar stole a ball on the Sunbird end line and finished neatly in the 15th minute. Eleven minutes later, junior midfielder Katie Dunn laid off a perfect pass for Sklar, setting up a one–on–one that Sklar put away for the 2–0 lead.
Freshman forward Nisha Chawla spelled Sklar and rewarded Van Dyke's decision by scoring her first collegiate goal. She tucked a bending left–footer over the goalkeeper and under the crossbar in the 45th minute to send Bakersfield to halftime up 3–0.
Sophomore forward Moriah Neville put the match out of reach when she chipped Deena Plach's right-to-left cross over the goalkeeper in the 56th minute.
For their part, the Sunbirds were able to put pressure on the Roadrunner backline when they managed to play the ball through midfield. Sophomore forward Amy Kampf made that effort pay dividends in the 68th minute when she created a turnover near midfield and blasted a 30–yard rocket that dipped under the crossbar.
Neville completed her own brace in the 82nd minute when she finished a crisp run of possession with her third goal of the season.
Bakersfield returns to action Wednesday, hosting Concordia–Irvine at 5 p.m. FPU heads to Utah for the Westminster Classic Sept. 2–3.
