Faced with playing it safe or pressing the attack in the last minute of the first half in Seattle, Loyola Marymount University’s women’s soccer team chose the latter — and it paid off.
Sophomore forward Simone Handy from la Mirada converted an opportunity with 23 seconds remaining before halftime, and freshman goalie Sadie Kenny — from Bishop Blanchett High School in Seattle — and the LMU defense made the goal stand up in a 1-0 victory over Seattle University, the Lions’ first win of the 2019 season.
"It feels great to get a good result on the road against a good team," said LMU coach Michelle Myers. "We have been in games all season but the W's have been eluding us. Hopefully this gives us confidence and new life as we head into conference next weekend.”
Playing in the Pacific Northwest for the second time this season (two weeks after a trip to Pullman), the Lions (1-7-2) outshot favored Seattle (4-5-1) 11-7, with seven of their shots on net as opposed to two for the home team. Kenny, playing before friends in her hometown, recorded her first career shutout.
LMU returns home for its West Coast Conference opener Oct. 5 (7 p.m.) at Sullivan Field against University of the Pacific (3-7). The Lions then travel north to play USF Oct. 9.
Men’s Soccer
After six straight shutouts (five wins and a tie), the LMU men’s soccer team lost a tough 2-1 match in overtime Sept. 26 to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, then played to a double-overtime 1-1 tie with Cal State Fullerton Sept. 29.
In the match at Cal Poly, both teams scored within a minute of each other late in the first half, as LMU’s scored his second of the year in the 42nd minute just 27 seconds after the Mustangs had taken a 1-0 lead. But Cal Poly got the game winner of a deflected shot in the second minute of overtime to get the win.
Goalie Jacob Jackson extended his scoreless minutes string to 601 minutes until Cal Poly scored in the first half, and recorded six saves.
Three days later at Fullerton, 24th-ranked LMU grabbed an early lead on Gaetan Roux’s first goal of the season in the ninth minute, assisted by Nick Dauchot, and held the lead until the 13th-ranked Titans scored the equalizer in the 83rd minute. Neither team could score in overtime.
The Lions head back to Sullivan Field Oct. 3 to take on UC Irvine (7 p.m.) before they travel outside California for the only time this season to play Western Michigan Oct. 6 in Kalamazoo.
