SANTA ROSA — It only takes one.
Thanks in part to yet another stellar defensive performance and its 10th shutout of the year, the Stanislaus State women's soccer team earned a big California Collegiate Athletic Association victory on Friday, beating first-place Sonoma State, 1-0, on the road at Trione Field.
"I'm so proud of our team for their performance today on the road against a very tough opponent," said Stanislaus State head coach
Gabriel Bolton.
Sonoma State (11-4, 6-3 CCAA) entered the day atop the CCAA standings. The Warriors, coming off a gut-wrenching overtime loss at home Sunday to Cal State San Bernardino, were outside of the top-six and a qualifying spot for the CCAA Tournament with only two weekends left.
But a lot can change in a matter of seconds.
Friday's contest – moved from Rohnert Park to Santa Rosa due to soggy field conditions on the Sonoma State campus – was deadlocked at 0-0 for nearly the entire game. The Seawolves were dominating control of the ball, outshooting the Warriors, 16-2, and earning five corner kicks to Stan State's none through the game's first 80 minutes.
Then, the Warriors got the only corner kick they'd need.
In the 84th minute,
Summer England sent in a long corner kick to the box. There, she found
Daisy Martinez, who headed the ball in for Stanislaus State's only goal of the game with less than seven minutes left to play.
"We talked in the pre-game meeting about being able to score off corner kicks," said Bolton. "Summer hit an incredible service and Daisy scored a golazo header."
That was all it would take for the victory, as
Amanda Leal and the Stanislaus State defense posted their 10th shutout of the year – only two shy of the program-record 12 the team tallied in 2014. For Leal, her 10th shutout tied her for the program's single season record. Her current 0.57 Goals Against Average would be the second-best all-time in a single season and her .888 saves percentage would be the new program record.
"We believed we could get the win and we did," said Bolton. "That's a great lesson that extends beyond sports."
The Warriors face another tough opponent on the road Sunday in third-place San Francisco State. Each of the Warriors' final three games of the regular season are against the top-three teams in the CCAA standings. Sunday's game kicks off at 11:30 a.m. Fans can find all live coverage links on WarriorAthletics.com.
