Romero Helps CBU Get Golden

Sunday, September 23

San Luis Obispo, Calif.

1:00 p.m.

California Baptist University

7-1-1, 0-0-0WAC

Cal Poly

0-8-3, 0-0-0BWC

OT 3

OT 4

California Baptist

Cal Poly

Photo by: Reagan Lee

Romero Helps CBU Get Golden

9/23/2018 4:03:00 PM | Women's Soccer

Box Score

By: Sammi Wellman, Director of Sports Information

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — California Baptist University came up golden for the third time this year, grabbing a 3-2 double-overtime victory on the road at Cal Poly Sunday afternoon.

"I'm really proud the team rolled up their sleeves and continued to work back into position after giving up two goals to let Cal Poly back in," said Coach Kristen St. Clair. "It was a gutsy performance and we continued to fight."

Rebecca Romero finished the game with a goal and two assists to help the Lancers finish their non-conference schedule with a 7-1-1 mark, while the Mustangs drop to 0-8-3 on the year. It marks CBU's best start to the season since opening 2011 with a similar 7-1-1 record. That year, the Lancers kept rolling to a 12-1-1 record to start the season.

"We knew that this game was going to come down to grit and concentration," said Romero, whose performance puts her second all-time for assists in a single game. "I am so stoked that Jordan [Dow] and Desarae [Felix] were there to finish our opportunities. I am also extremely grateful for my first goal of the season. I couldn't be more proud of our team's relentlessness to win this game."

Jordan Dow got things started for the Lancers in the 17^th minute to put CBU up 1-0 early. Desarae Felix found Romero running down the left side of the field and sent a ball into her path. Romero then drove a cross into the box, connecting with Dow at the far post for the easy tap in.

CBU went into halftime with the 1-0 lead and came out looking for some insurance.

It came in the 69^th minute when Romero scored her first goal of the season. Miranda Martinez flicked a pass onto Romero, who was making a run on the left side of the field. Romero dribbled into the box and fired a shot far post, pinging it off the post and into the back of the net to up CBU's lead to 2-0.

Ten minutes later, however, Cal Poly took advantage of an unfortunate event as Lancer goalkeeper Romy Salvador collided with another player and went down on the play, allowing a Mustang a clean look at the open goal, 2-1.

Dow looked like she might get another late in the game, getting a shot off a big clearance from Salvador, but the Mustang goalkeeper made the save.

With less than two minutes on the clock, Cal Poly was awarded a free kick about 25 yards out and ripped a shot into the net to send the game into overtime knotted at 2-2.

Fired up, the Mustangs got the first dangerous chance of overtime in the 92^nd minute, but Salvador came up big to keep the game going. Five minutes later, Felix had a great look on goal, but somehow it was kept out of the net.

"Romy had some big-time saves for us," said St. Clair.

The golden goal came in the 104^th minute as Romero played a beautiful, left-footed ball over the Mustang backline, allowing Felix to run onto it. She took a touch and buried it into the upper far corner of the goal to give the Lancers the 3-2 victory.

"That was a beautiful goal from Desarae," said St. Clair. "It was a top-class finish from a top-class player."

CBU begins Western Athletic Conference action on Friday, heading to Seattle U for a 7 p.m. kick off. The Redhawks will be a tough test after they've won seven WAC titles since 2013 and have played in five-straight WAC tournament finals.

"Playing on the road is always tough," said St. Clair. "We need to continue working on some things – I was disappointed in our ability to win the ball in the air and at this level, the margins are small. We'll learn our lessons from today, especially being able to perform on the road under pressure, since we'll be on the road next week."