BAKERSFIELD, Calif.-- A strong UC Riverside side came to Bakersfield and took a 3-0 victory from the Roadrunner women's soccer team on Sunday night. CSU Bakersfield went toe-to-toe with UCR, playing to a scoreless first half, but the Highlanders, who held No. 17 USC scoreless for 75 minutes last week, ultimately prevailed.

“The intensity and our defensive work rate tonight was phenomenal,” said Gary Curneen, Head Coach of the 'Runners. “UC Riverside is a top side and we created chances against them. Last year, we were on the back foot all of the time. I thought today we played on the front foot.”

The match started as a defensive battle with both teams keeping the opposing offense out of their own third in the first half. UC Riverside outshot CSUB 5-0 in the opening 45 minutes, but none of the Highlander attempts were dangerous as the CSUB back line held firm.

The 'Runners had the first good opportunity of the game in the 55th minute when Aminah Settles broke free from her defender just inside the 18-yard box. The redshirt freshman made a slick first touch and a hurdle over the UCR keeper. The leap gave Settles some open space, but the ball drifted too far, creating a tough angle, and her shot went just wide.

The Highlanders responded with pressure and netted the first goal of the game at the 64:33 mark. Senior Alexa Bustamante sent a through ball to Tyler Cunningham and UCR's leading goal scorer finished with a low, hard, line drive for a 1-0 lead.

CSUB responded well, applying ample pressure of its own as the 'Runners were only outshot 8-5 in the second half. Redshirt senior Tori Ornela tended goal well for Bakersfield, saving three shots on the night, but UCR was able to score twice more in the match.

The second goal of the night came in the 72nd minute when Brittany Mata passed a ball to the middle of the CSUB box. Freshman Kyra Taylor netted the first goal of her collegiate career to give the Highlanders a 2-0 lead. UCR iced the game with a third goal in the 81st minute. Blanca Barrio's corner kick found the back of Bustamante's head and the senior earned her third goal of the year and third point of the match.

The Roadrunners (1-3-1) will hit the road for a three-game stretch away from Bakersfield. The first of those matches will feature CSUB against Hawai'i Sept. 12. The following weekend, the 'Runners will meet two teams in Colorado before returning home.

Curneen said he looks forward to the challenges ahead of his team: “We have got to take the positives out of tonight's match and get back to work. We're finding that we are close and we're getting into these games. We're just not getting over the lines. We need to be a little bit stronger, mentally, and we need to execute under pressure.”

~GoRunners.com~