A Golden Finish

Thursday, September 21

Riverside, Calif.

1:30 PM

California Baptist University

3-3-0, 1-0-0PacWest

Hawaii-Hilo

3-2-0, 0-0-0PacWest

Team	1	2	OT 3	OT 4	Final F
University of Hawaii	1	0	0	0	1
California Baptist	1	0	0	1	2

Photo by: Conner Schuh

9/21/2017 8:05:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Sammi Wellman, Director of Sports Information

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — It came down to the last 40 seconds of the game, but California Baptist University grabbed a 2-1 double-overtime victory over Hawai'i-Hilo to open PacWest action Thursday afternoon.

The Lancers improve to 3-3-0 overall and start conference with a 1-0-0 mark. The Vulcans drop to 3-2-0 on the year and 0-1-0 in the PacWest.

"It feels great," said Coach Kristen St. Clair. "We wanted to start conference on the right note and I think we did. We dominated, we just didn't finish our chances, but we're getting better at that. We just need to be a little more efficient on the finishing end."

UHH scored first in the 13^th minute, taking advantage of a ball that wasn't fully cleared by the Lancer defense.

Seven minutes later, CBU was awarded a penalty kick, but couldn't convert it to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the visitors.

It didn't last too long, however, as Desarae Felix found the equalizer in the 30^th minute. Miranda Martinez beat off a defender to the ball and played a weighted ball into the 18-yard box. Felix made a diagonal run onto the ball, touched it past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.

Neither team could score again in regulation, despite their chances, sending the game into overtime.

UHH tried to find the golden goal, but Sara Escobedo came up with two saves in the first overtime period to send the game into a second, still deadlocked at 1-1.

This time, CBU was putting on the pressure in the second extra period. Felix got a good look on frame in the 106^th minute, but the Vulcan goalkeeper came up with the stop.

The game hit the one-minute mark, but the Lancers never stopped fighting. With 40 seconds on the clock, Rebecca Romero drove a beautiful cross into the 18-yard box, where Lanai Navarro headed it home for the game-winner.

"It felt so unreal," said Navarro on the game-winner. "I was super excited since it was an intense game. I knew it was now or never. I had to give it everything I had. It was time, I couldn't wait any longer."

"Rebecca had a phenomenal cross and Lanai just sold out to get on the end of it to finish it for us," said St. Clair. "We're really proud of both of them. We're proud of the whole team, but that sequence was pretty impressive."

CBU will look to build off tonight's thriller on Saturday as it hosts Hawai'i Pacific at 12:30 p.m.