By Ron Smith
September 2, 2023
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) With just less than 10 minutes to play in the game, Olivia Gabelein broke a scoreless stalemate that led to Westmont Women's Soccer's (1-0-1) first NCAA Division II victory and a 1-0 win over Cal State San Bernardino (1-1).
 
"What a fun opening week for us," exclaimed Westmont's head coach Jenny Jaggard after the Warriors claimed one win and one tie in the first weekend of competition.
 
"Give some credit to our back line," expressed Jaggard. "Taylie Scott and Shayna Stock played really well. Shayna got into the attack too, but she also had a lot more defensive role today. The shape we played resulted in a lot of problem solving, tactically. We don't match-up well next to them, so it is an exciting win when you play a team like that and are able to manage it.
 
"The goalkeepers played well today as did Ande Siegel who played at the six. We also split Daisy Alvarez in next to her and that was a good combination. Amelia Villa never stopped working and created some amazing opportunities for us."
 
Freshman Ellie Ludwig, made her first collegiate start in goal and then turned net-keeping duties over to junior Maya Pablos for the second half. The two recorded a clean sheet in the combined shutout and produced a total of four saves.
 
"Thursday's game (a 2-2 tie against Cal Poly Pomona) definitely affected our legs today," noted Jaggard. "From kick-off, our energy level was just a little bit lower and it felt like everything was slower. I think it was for San Bernardino as well. I feel like we worked very hard today, but I felt the pace of the game slowed off from Thursday's game.
 
"This was an example of trying to get a lot of fresh legs onto the field in the last 20 minutes," described Jaggard. "All my old memories from coaching in the CCAA have come piling back this week. The second game of the week is trying to slog through it and grind through it. Whoever can throw in more fresh legs and ground the other team down is usually how you end up winning."
 
Gabelein provided the fresh legs needed for the Warriors' victory. After playing the final eight minutes of the first half, Gabelein sat on the bench for the first 34 and one-half minutes of the second half. With just over 10 minutes remaining, Gabelein subbed in for Angelina Garcia. Just 40 seconds later, the redshirt sophomore put the ball in the back of the net.
 
"The ball got played and it looked like it was going to be a 50-50 ball," recalled Jaggard. "Olivia was pressing as hard as she possibly could. She was able to touch it so that the defender didn't have the ability to really be a part of the play. Then, Olivia basically went through the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper came out, went down to the ball, and Olivia was able to squeeze it underneath her. She kept going and pushed it in."
 
The goal was the first of Gabelein's career.
 
Next week, the Warriors will continue their extended road trip with a visit to the Roadrunners of Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday. Kick-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.