SAN MARCOS, Calif.--- Stan State used two early second half goals to key its 2-1 road conference victory over Cal State San Marcos this afternoon at The Cage in San Marcos, Calif.
Jocelin Roa scored the first Warrior goal just thirty-seven seconds into the new half on a ball from
Aliah Avila and
Kaley Miller. Less than three minutes later, Stan State (9-5-2, 6-3 CCAA) scored what proved to the game-winner as
Aliah Avila scored her team leading eight goal of the season on Miller's fourth assist of the week and team leading seventh of the season.
FIRST HALF: Cal State San Marcos came out strong to begin the match as the Cougars recorded two shots on goal attempts in the first 17 minutes. Stan State's
Natalia Ochoa recorded two of her five saves on the afternoon stopping Gabby Marsh's and Emma Hard's attempts. With twelve minutes left in the half,
Kayla Perez had a chance to give the hosts the lead when Allison Marcure stopped the Warrior shot. With less thirty seconds left in the half, Cal State San Marcos (6-5-5, 3-4-2 CCAA) took the lead on unassisted goal by Izzie Kryzsinski.
SECOND HALF: The Warriors were the ones that came out strong in the new half. Just thirty-seconds into the half,
Jocelin Roa connected on a ball from
Aliah Avila and
Kaley Miller to tie the match at 1-1. Stan State took the 2-1 lead when Avila scored her team leading eighth goal of the season on Miller's seventh assist in the 48
th minute. The Cougars had a chance to tie the match at 2-2 in the 68
th minute, but
Natalia Ochoa stopped Danielle Paulson's shot on goal attempt. It looked like the hosts tied the match in the 87
th minute, but they were called for offsides. As the match was ending, Cal State San Marcos had one last chance to tie the match at 2-2, but Ochoa made her fifth save of the day snagging Natalia Rodriguez's shot on goal attempt as the guests took the 2-1 victory.
18 POINTS: With its sixth straight victory, Stan State is in second place in the CCAA standings with its 18 points. The Warriors are two points out first place, No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona and two points ahead of Cal State Los Angeles who is in third place and four points ahead of Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State East Bay, and Cal State San Bernardino are tied for fourth place.
The top six teams at the end of the regular season on November 7 will receive a bid to the CCAA Soccer Championships, Nov. 10, 15-17. The first round will be held on November 10 at the sites of the number three and four seeds. The top two seeds receive a first-round bye. The semi-finals are set for November 15 in Arcata, Calif., on the campus of Cal Poly Humboldt. The championship match will take place on November 17 at 11:00 a.m. in Arcata, Calif.
SEVEN OF EIGHT: Of her team leading eight goals of the season,
Aliah Avila has scored a team leading seven game-winning goals this season. Of her 24 shot attempts, 16 are on goal.
LUCKY SEVEN: Kaley Miller has a team leading seven assists this season with four coming in the Warriors' last two matches. Two in Stan State's 3-2 victory over Sonoma State this past Wednesday and two this afternoon in the Warriors' 2-1 win at Cal State San Marcos. Miller has scored on goal this season in Stan State's win at SF State earlier this season.
SIXTH STRAIGHT: Stan State has won its last six matches in a row including four shutouts in that streak. The Warriors had an eight-match winning streak in 2014, when they finished the season 16-4-2. That streak ran from Sept. 4, 2014, with a 3-2 overtime win over Cal Baptist and ended with a 1-0 loss at Cal State Monterey Bay on Sept. 28.
UP NEXT: Stan State will travel to Hayward, Calif., for its final road game on Sunday, November 3 at 11:30 a.m. against Cal State East Bay. The Pioneers will defeated Chico State 2-1 this evening in Hayward. The Warriors will return home for their final regular season on Thursday, November 7 at 11:30 a.m. against Chico State.
