In the annual exhibition match between the Westmont women’s soccer team and the Division I UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, the game was scoreless for the first eighty minutes, until the Gauchos capitalized off of a free kick in the 81st minute — ultimately defeating the Warriors 1-0 at Harder Stadium on Saturday night.
In the first half, the Warrior defense, led by seniors Grace Lemley and Sophie Fuller, effectively handled immense pressure, as USCB outshot the Warriors 5-0.
Westmont coach Chantel Cappuccilli reflected on the defensive side of the game and said: “This is probably the best I have seen us defend as a unit in my time at Westmont, which is really encouraging.”
After a largely defensive first half, the Warriors began to create critical offensive opportunities in the second half. The Warriors’ best opportunity to score came in the 65th minute when junior Haley Parzonko won a tackle in the middle of the field and then quickly played the ball to freshman Maddi Berthoud at the top of the 18 yard box. Berthoud took a touch into the box, and ripped the ball just over the crossbar.
The Gaucho’s goal came in the 81st minute when Hannah Dearborn took a free kick from the left touchline. The ball bounced around in the box, until Ashley Dean decisively fired it into the back of the net.
UCSB, which was picked to finish second in the Big West Conference, opens the regular season next Friday, Aug. 19 on the road at Fresno State. Westmont plays at Marymount on Saturday, Aug. 20.