PASADENA, Calif. – The George Fox women's soccer team came ready to score some goals in a Sunday match against the Caltech Beavers, picking up their first win of the season, a 2-0 victory.
How It Happened
The Bruins flipped a switch from their game against Cal Lutheran, creating shot opportunities from the get-go.
Chloe Rocha started it off with a hit just high in the third minute.
Freshman
Mia Kalina recorded the first goal of her Bruin career just a minute later, with an assist by
Morgan Phalen. Phalen took her space from the outside, pulling in two defenders, then passing to Kalina, who performed a quick pull-back, creating just the space she needed to whack one a solid five yards out from the box; the Beaver goalkeeper was able to get a finger on the ball, but couldn't fully clear it, as the Bruins took a 1-0 lead.
Myann Johansen picked up her first save, and Phalen attempted a shot of her own in the 25th minute - Caltech picking it up. In the 36th minute, Phalen was in the action again, taking a corner kick for Fox, and Sarah Burke was there, flying in with a header, but it flew just high.
Fox had another corner attempt but couldn't find any feet to connect it. Rocha closed out the half with a shot off her left foot, but it landed in the arms of the Beavers goalie, still 1-0.
Anya Gula continued the pressure in the second half, when on a Caltech goalkick, they had a sloppy pass, and Gula kicked it right in front of the goal, but Fox didn't have the numbers to complete it.
In the 59th minute, Phalen took another corner, this time
Maci Bowman on the receiving end, heading it with power, just left of the net. The Beavers had two shot attempts, but neither was successful.
The 70th minute brought an opportunity for the Bruins, another corner kick. Burke connected on the cross first, a Beaver deflecting it, but Maddi Twichell was in just the right spot, passing it into the left corner of the net, not just giving Fox a 2-0 lead, but scoring the first goal of her career.
The Bruins kept the momentum going, Kalina took two more shots, not able to finish, as well as a chaotic corner kick that
Jayne Neal and Rocha had chances on, but neither found the back of the net.
Fox's strong defense and ongoing offensive pressure brought the Bruins to a 2-0 win to close out the weekend.
Top Performances
Freshman
Mia Kalina and Maddi Twichell each tracked one goal.
Chloe Rocha showed two shots on goal, while
Morgan Phalen and
Sarah Burkes both had one.
Myann Johansen picked up the first shutout of the season for Fox, recording two saves in 90 minutes played in goal.
What It Means
Fox has a 1-1 record for their first two games, while Caltech goes 0-2.
Coach's Thoughts
"It was the first regular season win in almost two years for this squad, said Bruin head coach
Brooke Alteneder. "It's exciting to see the tide turning and us heading the direction that we want to go as a program. There's always things to learn and take away but for right now we will take this as a huge step forward on our journey. The girls bought in and now are finding success in this new era of Bruin soccer"
What Comes Next
The Bruins will be back home and host Willamette on Friday, September 11th, at 7:45 p.m.
