The Westmont women’s soccer team was stunned by an 82nd minute goal and suffered a 1-0 defeat at Cal State Dominguez Hills in its season opener on Thursday.
The game winner came three minutes after the Warriors got a big boost when the Toros missed a penalty kick. The Warriors went on the attack and defender Vanessa Alcala fired two quality chances that were saved by CSDH’s second-half goalkeeper Marlies Nauman.
“Right after [the PK miss], we felt momentum swing a bit in our favor off those quick attacks. I felt like we were really precise on the counters,” said Westmont coach Lauren Matthias. “You could kind of feel that momentum shift quite a bit… so when the goal came, it was a little bit of a stop-in-the-heart type of feeling.”
Westmont controlled the tempo for most of the match. Forward Skyler McNamara was a primary catalyst up front, firing five total shots in her 41 minutes on the pitch and testing Toros starting goalkeeper Berlin Alcala with two early saves in the 8th and 14th minutes. Midfielder Ruby Stimer anchored the attack from the middle, recording three shots—including a strike on target in the 28th minute—while orchestrating play over 84 minutes.
Westmont outshot the Toros 12–5 (5–2 on target), and earned a 6–2 edge in corner kicks.
“As frustrating as it was, I was very happy with the execution, the fight, the grit. Our girls handled their physicality well, kept their calm, and stayed composed,” said Matthias.
The Warriors play their home opener on Saturday against Cal State San Marcos at 12 p.m. at Thorrington Field.
