SLEDGE-LAMMERS

Wednesday, October 21

Riverside

3 p.m.

California Baptist University

Hope International University (Calif.)

10/22/2009 3:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer

RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- Having lost three of its last four, the margin for error for California Baptist University has shrunk considerably. That margin nearly got even smaller Wednesday.

Hope International had upset on its mind, giving an inspired effort that only grew as the minutes ticked away, but in the end Amanda Lammers scored a golden goal in the 103rd minute to help the Lancers narrowly escape with a 1-0 double-overtime win over the Royals.

The win snaps the Lancers' first two-game losing skid since 2006 as they improve to 12-3-1 overall, 5-3-0 (15 points) GSAC. The Royals fall to 7-7-1, 1-6-0 (3 points).

The NAIA's No. 8-ranked Lancers likely have to win each of their remaining games to lock up an at-large berth to their second straight NAIA National Tournament, and the likelihood that they trip up Wednesday didn't seem a reality as the Lancers had never lost to the Royals. However, the Royals were primed to play the role of spoiler.

“This league has gotten exponentially better this year, and there is no easy game in the GSAC,” said CBU Head Coach Kristen St. Clair. “Hope is a much-improved team this year. We were not as sharp, but we got the result and that's the most important thing at this point of the season.”

A glance at the stat-sheet would offer the notion that the Lancers dominated as they out-shot the Royals, 18-6, including a 15-4 margin in regulation. And while the Lancers did generate the more dangerous chances, the Royals were able to handle the Lancer attack, forcing CBU into several long-range and non-threatening shots, though the Lancers did hit the crossbar twice. And as the game wore down into the final 10 minutes of regulation and after the first 10 minutes of overtime, it appeared as though the Lancers might be forced to settle for what would have been a crushing tie.

However, St. Clair made a tactical change at the start of the second overtime, taking a defender off to play with just three in the back, and just 2:15 into the second overtime it paid off.

“We just wanted to help our players get in position to be successful by getting more numbers in the attacking third and that certainly helped,” said St. Clair.

Joanna Idom and Fabiola Zanella da Silva combined together beautifully down the left side of the field, and when Idom played a ball to a wide-open da Silva in the middle of the park and the Royal defenders converged, da Silva played a perfect ball to a streaking Lammers down the middle of the area. An unmarked Lammers easily beat a charging Candy Bergst for the game winner, keeping the Lancers' at-large hopes alive.

The Royals' most dangerous opportunity came with 21 minutes left in regulation when Harmony Pruett played a ball from the left side that rolled across the mouth of the goal but was untouched and eventually cleared.

Bergst made four saves, and though the Royals had six shots, none of them were on frame. Lancer keeper Emily Evanson didn't need to make a save as she and the Lancer defense posted their school-record 11th shutout of the season.