HAYWARD — Eventually… one team had to move on.
The Cal State East Bay and Stanislaus State women's soccer teams played dead even Sunday in the first round of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament. One overtime wasn't enough, two overtimes wasn't enough, not even the first set of penalty kicks was enough.
But after more than 110 minutes of scoreless soccer and five rounds of penalty kicks, the 3rd-seeded Pioneers advanced to the semifinals of the tournament by winning the penalty kick shootout, 5-4, over the No. 6-seed Warriors at Pioneer Stadium.
The Warriors (8-6-4, 5-3-3 CCAA) held a 2-1 lead through the first two rounds of the shootout after
Amanda Leal made a diving save on Jenna Villanueva's round two attempt. But the Pioneers (9-5-4, 6-3-2 CCAA) evened it at 2-2 through three rounds after Stan State missed its third attempt. The teams then made a combined four in a row in the last two rounds to be tied 4-4 through the first five rounds. That sent it to a golden goal situation, where the team who earns the next win in a round moves on.
That would be CSUEB, who made its round six PK off the foot of Andrea Aborqui, and got the stop on Stan State's sixth attempt to win the shootout, 5-4.
"First and foremost, congratulations to East Bay, their coaches Robin, Mary, and Jacob for advancing," said Stanislaus State head coach
Gabriel Bolton. "They are a terrific program and played a wonderful game.
"We gave an incredible effort today but just couldn't pull out the win. Defensively, we were outstanding in the match like we have been all season."
The Warriors' defense tied a program record with its 12th shutout of the year. All 12 clean sheets went to goalkeeper
Amanda Leal, who on Sunday completed the greatest season ever by a Stan State 'keeper. Her 12 shutouts are the most all-time in a single season, her .907 save percentage is the best-ever in a single season, and her 0.53 Goals Against Average is tied for the top mark. Her 97 saves are also the third-most in a year.
"This is probably the best team I've coached at Stan State defensively," said Bolton. "Amanda has been a rock in goal and Jenna (Zuniga) was an amazing leader all year. Today, she showed the heart of a Warrior, playing 110 minutes with a knee injury."
Leal and the Stan State defense faced 20 shots – 10 on goal – all of which Leal saved. The Warriors took 10 shots of their own, putting four on goal, but also couldn't find the back of the net. Stan State also lost one of its best attackers in
Ilena Rivera to an injury 36 minutes into the match, which also made her unavailable for the shootout later in the afternoon.
It was the third time the teams met this season, with the Warriors winning both of the first two matchups, 2-0. Stanislaus State won a non-conference matchup between the two on Sept. 25, in Turlock, and beat the Pioneers again on Thursday in Hayward to clinch a spot in the CCAA Tournament.
"I'm really proud of what we accomplished this season both on and off the field," said Bolton. "These are challenging times and we showed this year why our motto is that we are more than a team."
