By Jacob Norling
March 4, 2021
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) #6 Westmont (2-2, 2-0 GSAC) utilized a timely goal and stellar defense to defeat Hope International (2-1, 1-1) in the second week of Golden State Athletic Conference play.
 
While Westmont had control of the ball in Royals territory for much of the match, they relied heavily on their possession, rather than their attack, to win Thursday's match.
 
Westmont tallied six official shots on goal, with only half of those shots being truly dangerous. The Warriors went most of the first half without a threatening attack and in the second half, they tallied only three shots on goal. But Westmont's ability to keep the ball at their feet allowed them to claim victory.
 
Head coach Jenny Jaggard spoke about the Warriors possession based mindset, saying, "Something we've been talking about all week is staying calmer on the ball and just keeping it so we have to defend a little bit less. I thought we executed that plan pretty well, and just let the ball do the work. As of late we're finding patterns and combinations that fit really well with what we're trying to accomplish."
 
The first half featured strong defense from the Warriors, who did not allow the Royals to take a single shot at Gabi Haw. On the Royals side of things, their defense stood tall for the majority of the first half, allowing only two weak shots on goal until the 40th minute. Then, things got dicey in the final five minutes as the Warriors had a pair of chances to end the stalemate.
 
In the 40th minute, Westmont had their first truly dangerous shot on goal when, off a cross from Izzy Berthoud, Grace Hotaling headed a ball with force that appeared ticketed for the back of the net. However, Royals keeper Sierra Pedroza made a dazzling save, diving to her right and getting her finger tips on the ball to redirect it out of bounds.
 
Pedroza, who collected three saves in the first half, held strong against the Westmont attackers. In the closing minutes of the first half it was her own defender that almost took away her clean sheet. In the 43rd minute, Berthoud sent a crossing pass into the six-yard box that Royals defender Jaylene Valentin attempted to clear, but Valentin had it hit off her heel and spin directly toward the goal line. Pedroza was shuffling to her right to receive Berthoud's cross, then immediately had to pivot and dive to her left, throwing herself on the ball mere inches from the goal line.
 
Twenty seconds into the second half, Bri Johnson had a breakaway and dribbled her way to a one-on-one with Pedroza, who stormed off her line at the perfect moment. Johnson had no angle on either side of Pedroza, and ultimately shot it right at the keeper.
 
In the 51st minute, the Royals had their first shot on Haw when Ofelia Sosa Cruz found her way through the Warriors defense and made Haw leave her feet, snagging the ball just below the crossbar for her first and only save of the afternoon.
 
In the 62nd minute, the Warriors finally broke through against Pedroza. Teagan Mayte sent a perfect through ball inside the 18-yard box, out of reach of the Royals defense and right at the feet of Johnson. Johnson drilled the back of the net, and the reigning GSAC Player of the Year put the Warriors up 1-0.
 
Coach Jaggard said, "It was an awesome day for Bri. I think it started with her working super hard defensively, which was putting her in great spots where she was picking balls from her backline and creating opportunities for our offense. The things that most forwards don't typically get recognized for is what stood out from Bri today, and it was awesome to see her get rewarded for that work with the late goal."
 
The Warriors kept pressuring the Royals for the next 28 minutes, but did not come up with another threatening attack for the remainder of the match, leaving it up to Westmont's defensive efforts to seal the victory.
 
Westmont did not allow a single shot for the final 28 minutes of the match, and the Warriors picked up their second consecutive win to open GSAC play, this time by a score of 1-0. The Warrior defense only allowed one shot on goal in all 90 minutes.
 
Westmont will look to stay undefeated during GSAC play next week when San Diego Christian comes to town Thursday, March 11. Due to state and local mandates spectators will not be permitted to attend the match in person. However, fans can tune in to live broadcasts next Thursday, on the Westmont athletics website.