By Ron Smith
November 9, 2024
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(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Women's Soccer (9-7-2, 9-2 PacWest) finished off the regular season with their fourth win in a row, defeating the Penguins of Dominican (7-10-1, 4-7) by a score of 4-0.
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"I feel like we have kicked in a whole other gear of the layers of where our attacks are coming from," said Westmont's head coach
Jenny Jaggard. "We have become so dynamic. During the early part of the year we had trouble with our offense, but I knew we had more potential. The way we move the ball is special. It's not just one or two superstars, it is the whole team. It's like a wave of creativity. It was a whole team effort of beautiful soccer today."
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Fittingly, senior
Amarys Machado scored the first goal on Senior Day.
Makenna Meyers sent a ball forward from the midfield stripe, finding
Amelia Villa on the right side. Villa dribbled around a defender, then passed across the six-yard box where Machado was waiting. Machado used her right foot to drive the ball into the back of the net in the 24th minute.
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Westmont extended its lead in the 42nd minute. Villa chipped a ball over the goalkeeper's head. A Penguin defender kept the ball from scoring, but the rebound teed it up for
Madeline Steinbach who tapped it into an empty net.
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With two assists tallied on the scoresheet, Villa turned her attention to scoring. In the 48th minute, Villa was brought down from behind in the box and the Warriors were awarded a penalty kick. Villa stepped up for the PK and sent it into the left-hand crease.
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The final score came in the 70th minute when Villa recorded her second goal. After relieving a Dominican defender of the ball at the top of the box, Villa fired into the net from the right side, putting the game well out of reach.
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Prior to today's game, the Warriors honored 10 seniors for their contributions to Westmont Women's Soccer:
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"It is four years we have spent together," said Jaggard after the game. "We have a lot of memories. It is not just the soccer field stuff – they have experienced NAIA deep playoff runs and now two years in Division II helping us get the success that we have had. It is the off the field stuff too. There are so many memories – silly conversations in the car, the restaurants, and the individual conversations in the office. It's also watching them mature as people. They were so young when they came. They have fledged and are about ready to leave the nest."
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All 10 of the seniors started the game, though for two, it was a short-lived experience. Pre-arranged with Dominican, Geist, who had not been able to play all year, kicked the ball off to a teammate who in turn, kicked it back to
Maya Pablos in goal. Pablos, as was planned, kicked the ball out of bounds. The substitution horn sounded and Pablos and Geist made their ways to the sideline.
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Because of her start, Pablos was credited with a shared shutout.
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"I was really thankful to Dominican," said Jaggard. "They were patient with us and allowed us to honor our seniors. I wanted Pabs and Jill to touch the field one last time. They have given so much to this program. I think it was special for them to be able to run out with the starting lineup again."
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It was such an emotional day for Olivia," noted Jaggard. "This morning, she showed up at our pregame senior day events with a big rock on her hand. This day was already emotional enough even without learning she was engaged. Then, she played awesome today."
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With the regular season over, Westmont now turns its attention to the PacWest Tournament. The Warriors will be the fourth seed and take on top-seeded and 20th-ranked Point Loma Nazarene in the first semifinal on Thursday, November 14. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.
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In the other semifinal, third-seeded and 10th-ranked Concordia (13-1-2, 9-1-1) will take on second-seeded and 22nd-ranked Hawai'i Hilo (12-1-3, 9-1-1). The winners of the semifinal games will advance to the championship game on Saturday, November 16 at 5:00 p.m.
