By Ron Smith
September 22, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) With just one more non-conference game before the beginning of the 2025 PacWest season, Westmont Women's Soccer (0-5) is looking for a way to ignite its offense. Unfortunately, today's 1-0 loss to the Bobcats of UC Merced (3-0-2) did not achieve that end.
 
"We are close, but we have to find ways to get it done," said Westmont's head coach Lauren Matthias. "We can't just keep saying we are close and come away with nothing on the scoreboard. We have to start getting some results and find people that are able to get that done for us."
 
In five games this season, the Warriors have produced just two goals.
 
"I thought we had some good attacking moments in the second half and even some in the first half, that we need to put away," pointed out Matthias. "The moments are there. We are generating them, but we need to be able to put the hammer to the nail, so to speak, and get that nail into the wood."
 
Both teams took 11 shots during the contest, but the Warriors were only able to put two on target. In the 10th minute, Sierra Martin produced a header off a cross from Vanessa Alcala, but the ball did not have enough pace to avoid the Bobcat keeper.
 
The game's only goal came in the 33rd minute when Merced's Trinidad Quiroz broke free of a Westmont defender in the box and scored from 12 yards out.
 
In the 34th minute, Madeline Steinbach, dribbled a ball along the top of the 18-yard box, then passed it back to Mia Stuart. Stuart's shot from 23 yards out went through the legs of a Bobcat defender, but ran out of steam as it approached the goal.
 
Martin had a chance in the 58th minute when she beat two Merced defenders to the ball and lobbed a shot over the oncoming keeper. However, the ball went just to the right of the upright, resulting in a goal kick.
 
In the 83rd minute, Skylar McNamara took a free kick from 24 yards out on the left side that found the body of a leaping defender, denying the score.
 
In the 88th minute, Sydney Reese got past a defender in the penalty box and fired with her right foot from 14 yards out. The ball missed high by less than a foot, escaping the netting.
 
The most dangerous opportunity for the Warriors may have come in the final 20 seconds of the game. Amelia Villa passed a ball across the face of the goal from left to right, but was unable to connect with Ellie Gilbert at the far post for what would have been the game-tying goal.
 
"I thought the second half was very good for the most part on our end of things," assessed Matthias. "We saw a fight in the second half that we were hoping to see for the whole 90 (minutes), but we only saw it for one half. We know it is in there, we just need to get it to come out of our players.
 
"We have to keep trying some different personnel and some different tune-ups and tweaks, but we have to figure out what that magic sauce is going to be to make them click. As a coaching staff, we keep saying it comes down to individual decisions and being able to connect in the middle third. We can do a lot better in that area."
 
Matthias inserted two freshmen into the game that saw their first collegiate action.
 
"Daniella Coyle got in at center back and played the whole second half," said Matthias. "We all thought she did fantastic in that spot. She came in and gave us something different. Alexa Talamante played in the midfield. She handled herself really well and brought a different energy that we needed."
 
Matthias also was pleased with the play of Reese. "Sydney played very well today. She left her heart on the field. That player gave 100% and then some today."
 
The Warriors conclude the non-conference season on Thursday when they welcome Stanislaus State (6-0) to Thorrington Field on Thursday, September 25 for a 12:30 p.m. game.
 
"Obviously, it's a quick turnaround in terms of recovery," noted Matthias. "Hopefully, we can get some momentum coming out of our last non-conference game."