Oct. 11, 2009
Box Score
Stockton, Calif. - Pacific dropped its first Big West Conference match of 2009, coming out on the wrong end of a 1-0 decision against UC Irvine on Sunday, Oct. 11.
With the loss Pacific fell to 8-4-2 on the year and 2-1 in the Big West Conference, while UC Irvine improved to 9-5-1 and 2-2 in conference action.
The damage was done in the 28th minute, when UC Irvine's Kate Berrini netted the first and only goal of the match. Prior to the goal, a Pacific foul initiated a free kick for the Anteaters, taken 40 yards out on the left side of the goal by Milana Shabestari. Off the kick, sophomore Alex Topp (San Diego, Calif.) tried to use a header to clear the ball, but it found Mar Rodriguez one yard out and to the left of the goal. Rodriguez then crossed to Berrini who earned the game-winner at 27:11.
Pacific tried unsuccessfully to play catch-up from there. At 36:35, freshman Lauren Olvera (Whittier, Calif.) placed her signature long throw-in right in front of the goal, which Topp received on a header. Topp flicked the ball behind her, five yards to the right of the goal where junior Kim Hargrave (La Palma, Calif.) took a shot that was blocked by a UC Irvine defender and gave way to a Pacific corner kick.
In the next possession for the Anteaters two minutes later, Alyssa Humphrey was awarded a free kick that she sent towards the goal and would have fallen in, if not for junior goalie Jill Medigovich (San Diego, Calif.). Medigovich leaped up and punched the ball out of the goal box and out of play.
After one half, UC Irvine had out-shot the Tigers seven to four. Using the allowed goal as motivation to step it up, the Pacific offense and defense did just that. In the second half, the Tiger defense allowed only two shots from the Anteaters, while the Tigers contributed six shots of their own in the second stanza.
Sophomore Laura Hogan (Poway, Calif.) started the second half off at 50:55 when she took a shot from 15 yards out and to the left of the goal. However, the ball went wide and was turned over to UC Irvine. Pacific's defense played hard to give possession back to the Tigers, and freshman Sarah Grable (Chula Vista, Calif.) tried her hand at scoring in the next play.
At 54:26 into the game, sophomore Angelica Figueroa (Linden, Calif.) crossed to Grable on the right side of the goal. Grable then took a shot which went wide and struck the net on the outside edge of the post.
Five minutes later Figueroa was awarded a free kick off an Anteater foul from over 30 yards out. Her kick landed right in front of the Tiger goal, but was cleared by UC Irvine's defense. Junior Natalie Wong (Mililani, Hawaii) then tracked the ball down still on Pacific's half of the field and took a long shot from the left side that went high at 60:22.
The Tigers' final scoring attempts came from Hogan in last 10 minutes of the contest. Hogan's final shot in the game occurred at 83:43, when she took a shot from 10 yards out and to the right of the goal. The ball was heading towards the corner of the net, before Devon Delarosa came in and cleared it out of the box to earn a team save for the Anteaters.
Hogan led all players with five shots in the game and three on goal.
Pacific next returns to action when they head to UC Davis in Davis, Calif., on Sunday, Oct. 18.
