LANCERS PUT STAMP(ER) ON WIN
10/29/2005 2:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Sarai Stamper's timing couldn't have been any better.
Stamper, one of the top 10 goal scorers in California Baptist history, has struggled to find the net all season, but she came up big time today, scoring her first goal of the season in the 86th minute to lift the Lancers to a crucial 3-2 GSAC win over San Diego Christian Saturday afternoon in the regular-season finale.
The win improves the Lancers to 9-8 overall, 5-5 (15 points) GSAC. San Diego Christian falls to 8-9-1, 1-8-1 (4 points).
Stamper put a cap on what turned out to be a wild affair where all 4 second half goals were scored in the final 20 minutes.
“I felt like we were walking the ball well, we had possession,” said California Baptist head coach Colleen Kelly. “We knew San Diego Christian was scrappy, and we couldn't let their forwards get open like they did. They made us pay for it. The bottom line is you're going to have to score more goals than San Diego Christian, because they're going score. Somehow we found a way today.”
Needing nothing less than a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, California Baptist wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. In the seventh minute, Brooke Shea scored her team-leading eighth goal of the season when she re-directed Monica Lydon's corner kick into the net for a 1-0 Lancer lead. That was the only goal of the first 45 minutes.
It appeared as if the Lancers were headed to the needed victory as the time began to wind down. But the Hawks had other thoughts and started what became a roller coaster affair in the final 20 minutes.
The Hawks received a free kick on the left side in the 70th minute, and Araceli Franco sent a ball over every player on the field and into the box. Mary Willis ran onto the ball from the right side and hammered home her tenth goal of the season past starting keeper Amanda Gomez, who was making her first career start in place of the injured Heather Andrews.
Less than 3 minutes later, the Lancers struck again to re-take the lead. In the 73rd minute, Alyssa Turner was taken down just inside the box, and Lindsey Merrett buried the resulting penalty kick just inside the right post for her fifth goal to give the Lancers a 2-1 lead with 17 minutes left.
“Lindsey stepping up to take that PK was huge,” said Kelly. “That's something I have to remind myself is that we have just 3 seniors who are starting for us. We are still so young, so for her to step up like that in a big game for us was huge.”
Yet again, the Hawks responded?this time in the 78th minute. A loose ball squirted to Willis near midfield. Willis carried the ball down the right side and sent a perfect through ball to set up Eliana Parada with a one-on-one with Gomez. Parada scooted the ball past a frozen Gomez to the right side and into the net for another equalizer.
Throwing everybody into the attack, the Lancers continued to mount pressure on the Hawks. Then in the 86th minute, an attempted clearance from the box came out to a waiting Lydon about 40 yards away on the left side. Lydon took it out of the air and dumped it back into the box to a wide open Stamper, who found herself with enough time to take 2 touches and slide the ball past Hawk keeper Lindsey Douglass to the far post for what turned out to be the game-winner.
Stamper, who ranked ninth on the Lancers' career chart with 24 career goals coming into the season, picked up her first goal of the season on the final day of the regular season.
“You hate to see any kid that works as hard as she does go without a goal all year,” said Kelly. “She's been double teamed almost every game and we can't expect her to do everything up top by herself, but it was fitting that she would get the game-winning goal in the final game. You couldn't have written a script better than that.”
The Lancers were able to burn the final 4 minutes, although it wasn't easy. The Hawks has a golden chance to force overtime right at the one-minute mark, but a shot banged off the post and danger was averted.
California Baptist must now wait to see how the rest of the league fares today, specifically Biola and Vanguard. Biola hosts Hope International at 7 p.m., and Vanguard hosts The Master's at 5 p.m. A loss by either would push the Lancers into the NAIA Region II playoffs, which begin Tuesday. Should both Biola and Vanguard win, then the Lancers will have to wait until tomorrow when the final Longo scores are computed.
