BAKERSFIELD, Calif. ? Sunday night's women's soccer match between UC Irvine and CSUB might well have been billed as, “the battle of the freshmen.” In the end, UCI's 12 freshmen proved their mettle against CSUB's 13 newcomers as the Anteaters leveled their record at 1?1 with a 3?0 victory on the CSUB Main Soccer Field.
Freshmen Nikki Forrest and Tanya Taylor score just 3:10 apart midway through the first half to put UCI in control. Sophomore Kate Berrini closed out the scoring with a high, arcing shot from well outside the box three minutes before the interval.
“I think we showed, especially in the second half, that we're capable of playing quality soccer,” said CSUB Head Coach Nicole Van Dyke. “But it's definitely a problem that we have been waiting for the second half to start playing well.”
Efficiency proved to be the key for a second consecutive CSUB opponent as Irvine converted three of the four shots it put on frame into goals. That followed a similar effort by Long Beach State in which the 49ers scored on five of their six shots on goal Friday night.
UCI's first goal was at once the best and worst of the match. Forrest intercepted a clearing pass nearly 35 yards from goal. She took one touch and then slipped her first collegiate goal inside the left post from long range. Beautiful for Anteater fans, but frustrating for Van Dyke.
“We knew it was going to take awhile for some of our younger players to develop offensively, but we can't give our opponents great chances and then keep allowing them to convert every time they put the ball on goal.”
Taylor's pace created the second Anteater goal as she took a feed from Kim Horn and beat her defender on a long run before finishing from inside the box. Like Forrest's, Berrini's goal also came from distance as her curling, 30?yard blast tucked itself into the upper right corner.
For its part, the CSUB offense created several opportunities in the second half, particularly in the final 15 minutes. But the Roadrunners' inexperienced forward unit couldn't finish the handful of chances it created in the UCI box.
CSUB (0?2 overall) hits the road for its next four matches, beginning with a pair in the Bay area next weekend. The trip kicks off Friday when the 'Runners visit Cal for the first time.
