California Baptist University
Dixie State
Stellar Senior Day
11/10/2013 1:29:00 AM | Women's Soccer
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Momentum briefly left California Baptist University in the second half of its regular season finale with Dixie State, but the Lancers were determined to end their Senior Day on a high note.
Kelly Jenks made sure of that, as the Lancer senior scored twice in the final four minutes to secure a 4-1 nonconference victory for CBU Saturday at Lancer Field. Fittingly, all four CBU goals were finished off by seniors, as the Lancers replicated their 4-1 win over the Red Storm from Wednesday.
“It's a special day and our team was ready, the seniors were certainly ready,” head coach Kristen St. Clair said of Senior Day. “You can look at the stat sheet and see the seniors made a big impact in every step today. There were four goals where three different seniors scored – that's pretty special.”
This group of six senior Lancers, including Rosie Nakata, Katie Rumfola, Kitra Walters, Kristen Witchey and Bernadette Witz, became the first CBU team to clinch a berth in a NCAA postseason tournament. It marks the third level of postseason play they've faced.
“These seniors have continued to establish our culture and work ethic,” St. Clair said. “They're great teammates, on and off the field, and they've done a great job continuing to establish our program. They've been in the NAIA, NCCAA and now they're going to the NCAA, and they're the only senior class to do that.”
Witz got CBU on the board about four minutes into Saturday's action. The goal was created off a give-and-go combination from Jenks to Silvia Sanchez. The play freed up Sanchez near the top right corner of the box. Sanchez lifted a cross inside and Witz won the battle with her defender in the air, heading the ball into the low-left side of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Ten minutes later, Kitra Walters became the next Lancer to put her stamp on her Senior Day. Off a free kick, Jenks fired a shot off a defender and into the box. Walters won the race to the loose ball and buried a low shot into the right corner for a 2-0 advantage.
Despite Saturday's lopsided final score, the result was not always a foregone conclusion. The Red Storm got on the board 11 minutes into the second half, when Abby Jameson chipped a ball into the air toward her teammate Megan Marchbanks to knock it into the goal.
Dixie State began to control the next few minutes of play, but its hopes of a comeback were all but dashed on Jenks' first tally. Both of Jenks' goals were set up by Tambrie Awai.
First, Awai played a cross into Jenks. Positioned right in the middle of the box and with pressure bearing down on her, Jenks alertly flicked the ball into the net just as the goalkeeper charged out to give CBU a commanding 3-1 lead with 4:11 remaining.
With the final result all but decided, Jenks and Awai were not done. A through ball guided down the left line from Awai sent Jenks running toward goal. Jenks controlled the ball and danced her way around her defender to fire a shot into the goal and cap the scoring 47 seconds before the final horn.
“Kelly did a great job recognizing what kind of pressure she was under,” St. Clair said. “To be able to break down a defender in the last minute of the game continued to show the composure and experience that these seniors have brought to the table.”
The Lancers will enter the NCAA Division II West Region Tournament with a 12-5 record and as the runner-up in the PacWest Conference, behind Azusa Pacific University. Dixie State finished the regular season with a 7-7-2 mark.
“This class really has helped set the tone for us, winning those two NCCAA National Championships,” St. Clair said. “They led us into this season and really established the level at which we would like to play.”
