BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield's women's soccer team looked equal to the task in a Western Athletic Conference match against second-place Utah Valley on Sunday, but an 81st-minute penalty kick for the Wolverines sank the Roadrunners' hopes for an important victory at home.
"I'm proud of the performance," said Gary Curneen, Head Coach of the `Runners. "We feel like we're putting enough into games and I thought we came out today against a tough Utah Valley team and we gave it a rattle. We're down, but we're not out. I didn't think there was much between the teams today. Credit to Utah Valley; they got their chance and they took it."
The two teams played a very tight, scoreless first half. Both teams found chances in their respective final thirds, but neither could convert, while CSUB generated the two closest chances of the opening 45 minutes. In the 16th minute, Aminah Settles sent a laser to the frame that tipped off the keeper's glove and hit the post. Two minutes later, Sophie Freeman's header was cleared off the line by UVU's defense to keep the match scoreless.
The second half leaned more in the favor of the Wolverines as UVU outshot CSUB 7-3. The `Runner defense held strong until one mistake in the 81st minute spelled disaster. A Wolverine drove into the edge of the CSUB box and was taken down by a `Runner defender. UVU's Breanna DeWaal put away the penalty kick for a one-goal lead.
CSUB did not go down without a fight and earned multiple free kicks in the UVU half in the final minutes to put pressure on the Wolverines. The ball floated dangerously in the box three times, but the `Runners were unable to put it in the back of the net for the equalizer as Utah Valley (9-10-0, 5-1-0 WAC) held on for a 1-0 road win.
Sophomore goalkeeper Jordan Bertram played well, making five saves for the `Runners and giving up just the PK goal. Settles, a redshirt junior, was the driving force for the CSUB offense, putting three of her four shots on frame while causing trouble for the UVU defenders all match long.
CSUB (6-11-1, 1-4-1 WAC) will travel to play Grand Canyon next weekend in an extremely important regular-season finale. CSUB and GCU are tied in the WAC standings for the sixth and final spot in the WAC Tournament. A win would automatically send CSUB to the tourney while a loss would mean Bakersfield would miss the postseason for the first time since 2013. A draw on Friday would bring up a muddy tiebreaker scenario with many variables still to be decided.
~GoRunners.com~
