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Returning to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year was no easy feat for the California Baptist University women’s soccer team.
Buried 2-0 against Utah Valley in the WAC Tournament final on Saturday, Nov. 8, CBU fought back with second-half goals from Anja Jestrovic and Taylor Held before Fontana native Mikayla O’Brien secured a 4-3 victory in the shootout to repeat as conference postseason champions.
The win earned the Lancers (12-8-2 overall) an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, where this time coach Kristen St. Clair’s team will face No. 3-ranked Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., in a first-round match Friday.
“(I’m) proud of this team and at the end of the day we advance and have an opportunity,” St. Clair said.
CBU finished the regular season with a scoreless draw and a 2-1 loss on its road trip to Texas, but the No. 4-seeded Lancers’ fortunes changed at the WAC Tournament in Utah, winning both the semifinal and final in dramatic shootouts.
“I was impressed with our team’s heart, resolve and grit to fight their way through the adversity,” St. Clair said. “Mikayla O’Brien showed why she’s the best goalkeeper in the conference.”
The WAC goalkeeper of the year, O’Brien (Summit High) made two saves to help win the semifinal shootout over Utah Tech, and totaled eight saves and scored the match-winner in the final shootout against Utah Valley to earn Most Outstanding Player of the WAC Tournament.
CBU refused to panic after Utah Valley scored in the 35th minute on Saturday, but a sense of urgency was apparent after the Wolverines added their lead 10 minutes into the second half.
Lancers senior captain Kaylee Hauck (King High) earned a penalty after a video assistant referee (VAR) review, and Jestrovic buried the free kick in the 61st minute to cut the deficit in half against the top-seeded team.
VAR was needed 10 minutes later the ball bounced off UVU goalkeeper Leah Wolf and then glanced off the midsection of CBU’s Taylor Held, who netted the equalizer. Video review determined Held was not offside.
In the 81st minute, Utah Valley’s Faith Webber seemed to score her second goal but the video determined she started in an offside position and the match was level at the end of regulation.
With a goal immediately sending one team to the NCAA Tournament in overtime, CBU got two great looks at goal but neither Hauck not Jestrovic scored their chances and after 110 minutes a penalty shootout was needed to determine a winner.
Jestrovic, Hauck and Ava Westlund all scored in the shootout and it came down to O’Brien, who stepped up and delivered with a goal to clinch the conference tournament title.
POMONA-PITZER HOSTS REGIONAL
The NCAA Division III West Regional women’s soccer tournament begins in Claremont on Friday.
Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season champion Pomona-Pitzer (14-1-3 overall) hosts semifinal No. 1 against St. Joseph’s of Long Island (13-3-3) at the South Athletic Complex (295 E. 1st Street, Claremont) on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (13-3-3), which earned one of 21 at-large bids into the Division III tournament, plays Puget Sound (13-2-5) in semifinal No. 2 at 3:30 p.m. The West Region final is set for Sunday at 3 p.m.
Pomona-Pitzer has qualified for the Division III tournament each of the last three seasons. This is the second consecutive NCAA appearance for CMS.
RCC & SBVC EARN BOWL INVITATIONS
Despite elimination from state playoff contention for the first time in more than a decade, the Riverside City College football team still received a postseason bid.
The Tigers (7-3 overall) have accepted an invitation to play in the Southern California Bowl at Fullerton College on Monday night. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.
Riverside ended its regular season with a 65-27 victory over San Diego Mesa. Freshman quarterback Bryan Wilson passed for a season-high 503 yards and five total touchdowns as the Tigers set season-highs for points, passing yards (644) and total yards (818).
Following two years without a win – including last season’s cancellation after two game – San Bernardino Valley College (7-3) is set to play Antelope Valley College in the Western State Bowl on Saturday Nov. 22 at 5 p.m.
ODDS & ENDS
UC Riverside guard Marqui Worthy, Jr. was selected Big West men’s basketball player of the week. Worthy, Jr. averaged 18.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game in back-to-back wins to start the season. … The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team has won five matches in a row and hosts Cal State Monterey Bay at Coussoulis Arena on Friday night a 5 p.m. … The Cal Poly Pomona men’s cross country is headed to its third consecutive NCAA Division II National Championships after a third-place team finish at the Division II West Regional on Saturday, Nov. 8 in Monmouth, Ore. … James Christian sank a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining as La Verne men’s basketball team overcame a 16-point second half deficit to open the season with a dramatic 73-72 win at George Fox on Sunday Nov. 9 in Newburg, Ore.
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