California Baptist University
UC Riverside
Lancers Dominate UCR in Annual Crosstown Showdown
9/11/2025 11:00:00 PM | Women's Soccer
RIVERSIDE--- The Crosstown Showdown is always a competitive showing between UC Riverside and California Baptist, except Thursday evening, after the CBU women's soccer program dominated the Highlanders to keep their perfect home-winning streak alive. Kaylee Hauck set the tone for the match with an early goal that carried the Lancers' momentum through the complete 90 minutes. CBU improves to 4-3-1 on the season and is 3-0 at CBU Soccer Stadium.
Kristen St. Clair's squad put the pressure on the visiting team from the first whistle and totaled 12 shots in the first half, compared to UCR's one. Jess Ramirez, Ava Westlund, and Hauck combined for several impressive attempts at the goal, but it was not until the 11th minute that the trio found the back of the net. Ramirez took a deep shot from the left side of the field that drifted far back and bounced off the post to a waiting Hauck, who perfectly placed the volley into the goal for the early lead. The goal marks the senior's second goal of the season.
The second goal of the game came just before halftime after Westlund drove down the left side of the field and fired off a cross that bounced in the box before drifting back to the near side. Bexy Sanchez picked up the ball and took on two defenders before giving herself just enough of an angle to place the ball near-post for her first collegiate goal. The second half saw many more offensive attempts for the Lancers, but UCR managed to stave off any more goals from the home squad.
Mikayla O'Brien and her backline picked up their fourth shutout of the season, limiting the Highlanders to just three shots in total and one on frame. The win over UC Riverside marks the third consecutive win for the Lancers in the Crosstown Showdown during the last three seasons.
"I'm happy we got the result with two good finishes by Bexy and Kaylee, while earning another shutout," said St. Clair. "Honestly, there should have been 4-5 more goals. We controlled the game but our finishing was not as sharp as it should have been and that showed with multiple balls hitting the posts. Our young squad showed good composure to control and close out the game. Overall we're getting better everyday, however this is a valuable lesson for us to learn as we can't leave goals on the table with conference play around the corner".
California Baptist will now hit the road once again as the squad will head to the University of San Diego on Sunday evening for a 5 p.m. match.
