By Ron Smith
September 7, 2025
 
(POMONA, Calif.) Taking on the reigning NCAA Division II national champions on their home field proved to be a bit much for Westmont Women's Soccer (0-3) who fell to the #2 Broncos of Cal Poly Pomona (3-0) by a score of 4-1 on Thursday afternoon. However, as Westmont's head coach Lauren Matthias pointed out, "There were a lot of good pieces from our team.
 
"The house is good, the structure is good," assessed Matthias. "There are some accessories and touch-ups that need to be sharpened. We need some fresh paint, we need to fix the windows and we need to fix the landscaping, but the house and the foundation are good. That was the main message we told our team after the game.
 
"Our physicality in the final third was improved today – getting in front of the ball and bodying up on the ball. I was proud of our group that we were able to stick to our game plan and not stray from it. We were able to get some really good moments. A lot of it came down to individual stuff – whether individual defending or mistakes on the ball, or individual decisions to shoot the ball when we needed one more pass."
 
"(Assistant Coach) Dan Ribbens said at the end of the game that we battled the whole game and it made them battle the whole game."
 
The Warriors scored first when Skyler McNamara recorded her second goal of the season at just the one minute mark. Madison Ford served up a free kick from 35 yards out on the right-hand side. Her line drive of a serve found McNamara as she moved forward on the left side. McNamara headed the ball eight yards in front of goal, placing it in the center of the net, beyond the reach of the outstretched hands of the keeper.
 
"I love that we came out and scored right off the bat and that we punched first rather than just waiting for the game to come to us," expressed Matthias. "The ball Madison sent in was phenomenal and a strength of hers. It was no accident. She sends those balls in frequently and we were able to score quite a few times off them last year. Her ability to hit those balls really helps us out."
 
The Broncos answered quickly, scoring in the fifth minute. Ally Henry intercepted a pass and immediately sent it over the top. Morgan Huff won the ball, then dribbled forward and shot the ball into the net from the top of the 18-yard box.
 
Cal Poly Pomona took a 2-1 lead in the 11th minute when Anna Schellpepper sent a corner kick into the box that found the feet of Mikaela Marr. Marr shot from 14 yards out, putting the ball in the far-side netting.
 
A penalty kick resulted in the Broncos third goal in the 24th minute. Marisa Salazar dribbled into the 18-yard box and was taken down with a foul, resulting in the PK. Salazar took the penalty kick and drove it into the upper left corner.
 
The final goal came in the 53rd minute when Vanessa Cruz hit a shot from 25-yards out on the right, drilling the ball just inside the far post.
 
"There is some sprucing up we need to do on both ends of the ball," acknowledged Matthias. "There are some defensive things and some offensive things, but you can see that there are some really good things going on as well. We are in a growth process and we have to continue to have a growth mindset.
 
"Last year when we played them at home, we felt like we were chasing the whole game. We couldn't even touch the ball. There was no rhythm on the ball. Today was much better than when we played them last year.
 
"I thought Skyler played really well for us tonight. She kept the ball well and made some dangerous runs for us.
 
"Amelia Villa did some really good stuff for us defensively. She covered a lot of ground. They sent a lot of numbers forward when they got into the attack and she was doing some solid work tracking their players.
 
"Vanessa Alcala got into the game for the first time this season after having an injury. She was able to get some minutes in the second half in a high-level game. She came in calm and collected and played solidly for us.
 
"Ellie Ludwig had a really good save at the end that could have put them up one more. It was a good reaction save and really good positioning."
 
The Warriors will host California Lutheran in an exhibition game on Saturday, beginning at 12:30 p.m. Westmont's next countable game will be played on the road at Cal State San Marcos on Saturday, September 20.