California Baptist University
5-4-2, 1-1-0
Tarleton
7-4-3, 1-1-0
CBU Falls to Tarleton on Thursday Evening
10/3/2024 10:45:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist women's soccer fell on Thursday evening in their second Western Athletic Conference match against Tarleton in a 2-1 competitive game. The Lancers trailed by one goal heading into halftime and found the equalizer courtesy of Jayden Ramirez, but a breakaway game-winner solidified the Texan's first win of WAC play. The Lancers move to 5-4-2 on the season and now own a 1-1 conference record.
It was a slow first half for the Lancers, finding just five total shots across 45 minutes of action. Tarleton got to work early and immediately began testing the CBU's backline, ultimately finding their go-ahead goal in the 11th minute off a header from Sam Liaty. The goal would go unanswered by California Baptist for 40 minutes until Ramirez found her second goal of the season off a header with the help of Grace Blumfeldt and Rilee Harmon.
The Lancers brought more excitement into the match during the second half after scoring their goal in the first five minutes, knocking 15 shots and forcing Tarelton's keeper to make ten saves. CBU's best chance to go ahead came in the 66th minute when Blumfeldt maneuvered her way around the six-yard box and slotted a ball into an empty net, only to be denied by a Texan defender. Tarleton's Victoria Cameron would ultimately find the game-winner after gaining control of a cleared ball and dribbling nearly 45 yards to score in the 84th minute. The loss to the Texans marks CBU's first regular-season conference loss since the 2022 season.
"This is a disappointing result. We let an opportunity for 3 points on our home field slip through our fingers due to inconsistent decision making, execution and poor finishing in the final third. We had a slow start to the first half and we paid for it. It's always tough to dominate the match from a shots and possession standpoint then give up two preventable goals from a deflection against the run of play and a poor turnover from a throw in," remarked Head Coach Kristen St. Clair.
"The only response is to roll up your sleeves at get back to work. I was pleased to see the grit our team showed to get back into the game with a goal from our captain, Jayden Ramirez. We spent the majority of the second half in our opponents defensive third creating numerous scoring opportunities. Unfortunately, we lacked the finishing quality needed in front of goal tonight. The game came down to our execution and performance and it was not consistent enough for our standards.
We're going through a good deal of adversity right now losing some of our top attacking players to injuries, but this time also presents opportunities for other players to step up. We'll go back to work tomorrow to prepare for our next opponent," St. Clair finished.
California Baptist will now turn its attention to Sunday evening, where they will host Abilene Christian at 6 p.m. in CBU Soccer Stadium to continue WAC play.
Team Stats
Sam Liaty (3)
Assisted By: Adelaide Wyrzynski , Reegan Wagg
GOAL by TSU Liaty, Sam Assist by Wyrzynski, Adelaide and Wagg, Reegan.
10:18
Jayden Ramirez (2)
Assisted By: Grace Blumfeldt , Rilee Harmon
GOAL by CBU Ramirez, Jayden Assist by Blumfeldt, Grace and Harmon, Rilee.
49:57
Victoria Cameron (1)
GOAL by TSU Cameron, Victoria.
83:40
