California Baptist University
Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)
GAME...SET...SEASON
12/3/2010 7:06:00 AM | Women's Soccer
DECATUR, Ala. --- California Baptist University will always remember its final appearance in the NAIA Women's Soccer National Championship.
The good and the bad.
Traveling 2,000 miles to play its second GSAC rival in as many games, on a soggy and muddy field in near-freezing temperatures, 11th-seed CBU couldn't pull off its second consecutive upset and instead had its season come to a close with a 3-0 loss to third-seed Azusa Pacific at the Jack Allen Recreational Complex Thursday night.
"It is an honor to be in this tournament, and we did some very good things today," said CBU Head Coach Kristen St. Clair. "We created some chances and were unlucky a couple of times on the finishing end, but they were just sharper than us. Soccer is a humbling game and today wasn't our day."
The loss brings the Lancers' 2010 campaign to a close at 15-6-2, while the Cougars advance to the semifinals for the fourth time in the past five seasons and improve to 19-1-2, their only loss this year to the Lancers.
The good?
It was the second straight quarterfinal appearance for a
program that had just one national tournament berth prior to 2008. The Lancers
won at least 15 games for third straight year, and they just graduated their
most successful senior class in program history, a class that includes Lizzy Bendrick, Jenny Kute, Kyrie Nicassio, Courtney Sewell, Arianna Triassi, Carly Walters and Jacquelyn Witz and won 61 games and
made three national tournament appearances, something no other class in program
history has ever done.
"I am proud of this team. They accomplished a lot this season," said St. Clair. "This senior class is a special group that have invested a great deal into this program and helped elevate it to a higher level."
The bad?
In their final year as a full-fledged NAIA participant while
in the midst of a transition to NCAA Division II, the Lancers were forced to travel nearly all
the way across the country to play in a deplorable tournament both in terms of
its setup and its surfaces. Both games at the final site in Decatur, Ala., were
against GSAC rivals, who were placed in the same quarter of the 32-team bracket. And while the temperatures back home in California were in the 70s, tonight's
game kicked off in the 40s. Not to mention, both the main field and the backup field were both unplayable so all four of today's quarterfinal games, which were supposed to be played on Wednesdsay, were played on a makeshift field that was painted green.
"We were surprised and a little disappointed that all three conference opponents were on the same side of the bracket, but at the end of the day you have to eventually play the best teams to have a chance at winning the national championship, so we'll play whoever at this point," said St. Clar. "It is definitely a testament to the conference that three teams were here."
As for tonight's game, the Cougars had 14 shots but just three were on frame. All three hit the back of the net, two of them on set pieces.
The first strike came in the 23rd minute when Kelsey Walker got on the end of a free kick service from Brittany Flanagan. Walker, who was rushing the box, took the kick out of the air and volleyed it past a helpless Rosie Nakata and into the net.
The Lancers' best chance came in the opening minute when Amanda Lammers got on the end of a service into the box, but her touch just skipped past the post.
Azusa Pacific out-shot the Lancers' 9-3 in the first half and carried its one-goal advantage into the intermission.
Though the Lancers came out with energy at the start of the half and pressed forward for the equalizer, the Cougars held steady and scored twice more in the second half, both in a five minute span. Flanagan lifted a deep free kick that sailed just over Nakata's outstretched arms in the 70th minute. The Cougars iced it 4:50 later on an unassisted strike from Jacqueline Conforto, her first of the season.
It was a physical game, and while each team was called for 14 fouls apiece, there were six cautions and one red card in the 78th minute issued. The Lancers were shown four of the six cautions after getting booked just seven times all season prior to tonight.
"We happened to be playing a familiar foe, and we've had some great games with them," said St. Clair. "Tonight was physical, fast and exciting, but we were on the wrong end of it. I am proud of the players and the way they have carried themselves. This group battled through adversity and overall it was a good year."
