By Ron Smith
February 7, 2021
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) It did not take long for Westmont Women's Soccer (0-1) to find itself playing from behind in Friday's season opener. The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (3-0) scored in the first minute of play for what turned out to be the game's only goal.
 
Madilyn Hernandez played a ball forward along the left touchline to Tori De Leon in the corner. De Leon crossed the ball past the face of the goal where Alexis Macias slotted it inside the post.
 
Though the Warriors outshot the Sunbirds 13-8, including 5-4 on goal, Westmont was unable to find the equalizer.
 
In the 10th minute, senior goalkeeper Gabi Haw suffered an injury that required her departure from the game. Redshirt sophomore Kailey Meyer stepped in and successfully defend the Warriors' net for the remaining 80 minutes  
 
The Warriors will continue the season on Wednesday when they travel to San Diego to take on the Sea Lions of Point Loma Nazarene. Like Fresno Pacific, Point Loma is both an NCAA Division II opponent and a former member of the GSAC.
 
The Warriors and Sea Lions have matched up 17 previous times with Westmont holding a 7-5-5 advantage. The teams last played on a stormy night in Decatur, Alabama in the second round of the 2011 NAIA National Championship. The teams tied 2-2, but Point Loma won the shootout that sent the Sea Lions into the quarterfinals.
 
The game is scheduled to kick off at two o'clock in the afternoon.