By Tim Heiduk
November 16, 2019
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Despite outshooting #11 Vanguard 19-4, #8 Westmont lost 1-0 in the GSAC Tournament championship game in a matchup between the two teams that shared the GSAC regular season title.
 
"We just weren't clinical enough in our finishing today," Westmont head coach Jenny Jaggard said. "You've got to be opportunistic in this game and sometimes it just doesn't go your way."
 
For the second straight game, Westmont held its opponents without a shot in the first half. The Warriors tallied 10 shots of their own in the first 45 minutes, three of them being on target, but none were able to find the back of the net.
 
Bri Johnson's 30-yard shot came the closest, which forced Vanguard's goalkeeper into a save that was tipped off the bottom of the crossbar.
 
Earlier in the half, Maddi Berthoud looked to have sent Teagan Matye through at goal, but a last ditch sliding effort from a Vanguard defender blocked her shot.
 
A well-worked passage of play in the 41st minute found Isabelle Berthoud at the top of the box, but her left-footed shot rolled straight into the goalie's arms.
 
"It's a dagger to my heart because I feel like it could've been 2-0 at halftime," Jaggard said. "We were working them, but if you can't put the ball in the goal, it doesn't matter."
 
In the first few minutes of the second half, the Lions got their first two corner kicks of the game. Vanguard headed the first one over, but the Warriors weren't as fortunate just a minute and a half later, when a Lions' corner kick was headed home from around the six-yard box to give Vanguard a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute.
 
"We made a mistake on a set piece and didn't beat that player to the ball," Jaggard said. "Credit to them, they got a good goal and they packed it in. That's what I would do too. At the end of the day, I'm looking at them and saying, 'Well done. You got the first goal and you knew how to defend it.'"
 
The Warriors' offense came back to life after the Lions went ahead, as Westmont forced Vanguard's goalie into action on multiple occasions.
 
Maddy Cuculich's shot from distance went just wide in the 68th minute. Then with under four minutes to play, the Cuculich launched a free kick into the box from her own half of the field, which the Vanguard goalie dropped. The ball landed at the feet of Isabelle Berthoud, whose shot was blocked, as the Lions' defense saved the ball off the goal line.
 
The Warriors kept the pressure on in the waning moments, but were unable to find an equalizer, allowing Vanguard to celebrate its third GSAC Tournament championship in four years.
 
"I was proud of the team for pressing forward and for the most part playing their game," Jaggard said on her team's response to falling behind. "I was telling them, we're not used to coming from behind, so this was a great experience because it could happen in a playoff game. You've got to have that grit to be able to find a way to get it back, stay composed, and play your game.
 
"As the clock ticks down, there's a tremendous amount of maturity that you need once it's below 20 minutes to be able to let the ball do the work, swing it, and pick your moments instead of slamming your head against a brick wall over and over again on something that doesn't work. I feel like we did some head slamming today."
 
Similar to their semifinal match against OUAZ (Ariz.) on Thursday when Westmont outshot its opponents 23-0 but only scored twice, the Warriors were unable to capitalize on their shot advantage.
 
"It's a real problem. It's something I've been talking to them about," Jaggard said. "Every opportunity, you've at least got to get it on frame and make the keeper make a save.

"We've got to get sharper there. I know that we can do it. It's just a matter of knuckling down and making that a priority."
 
Vanguard avenged its regular season loss at Westmont on Oct. 12, a game in which the Warriors prevailed 3-0.
 
"That was our downfall today, we didn't score first. I think if we had scored first, we would be the winners of this tournament," Jaggard said. "Soccer is a very psychological sport, where if you can get the first goal or get the first two goals, you crush their hope. It totally changes the way the other team plays."
 
Westmont, who last won the GSAC Tournament in 2015, also lost to Vanguard in the GSAC Tournament Championship two years ago in penalty kicks.
 
The Warriors now await the releasing of the NAIA National Tournament draw on Monday morning to find out their next opponent and if they will be hosting the NAIA Opening Round Tournament. The top-15 teams in the NAIA, as determined by a selection committee, will host three-team Opening Round tournaments next weekend, beginning on Nov. 22.
 
"This is a learning lesson," Jaggard said. "If we grow from this and are more motivated, I told the players I feel sorry for the team that has to play us next weekend because we're going to come out with an extra fire I hope. If that's not motivation, I don't know what is."