By Ron Smith
September 25, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Playing in the final non-conference game of the 2025 season, Westmont Women's Soccer (0-6) fell to Stanislaus State (3-1-2) by a score of 2-1 on Thursday at Thorrington Field.
 
"Before the game, I told the players that good things take time," said Westmont's head coach Lauren Matthias. "You can cook food in a microwave or you can cook it in a crockpot. The crockpot is always going to be better because it takes longer and there is more flavor and it develops. We want the microwave effect of putting it in and then it's ready, but with how young our team is, it is going to be a crockpot-type season.
 
"We have to keep adding things in. We have to keep tweaking ingredients, which I think we are doing as a staff. We are trying different pieces. We got Daniella Coyle her first start of the year. We had Alexa Talamante get in the game as a freshman for the second time. Kaia Diedericks, up top, was phenomenal. She is very creative and starting to come into her own. We are seeing growth, but it is taking some time.
 
"It doesn't mean it is easy. It is hard and it is frustrating, but the pieces are there and I know it is going to click."
 
Stanislaus struck first, scoring in the 10th minute of play, A ball got loose on the right flank which Kellyann Rodriguez ran down. Rodriguez planted her left foot then one-touched the ball with her right, sending it just under the crossbar in the middle of the goal.
 
Westmont recorded the equalizer in the 70th minute. Ellie Gilbert intercepted a pass from a Stanislaus defender and the ball bounced toward Diederichs. The freshman forward dribbled from the left side toward the middle of the pitch, but away from the goal. Then with her right foot, Diederichs slotted a ball past the defense and into the penalty box. Sophomore forward Ciara Caringal, playing on the right side, reacted to Diederichs pass and broke diagonally toward the goal. Caringal one-touched the ball with her right foot, drilling it into the far crease for her first collegiate goal.
 
"Ciara is a player that has been pushing and starting to get minutes here and there," noted Matthias. "We gave her the start in the second half and she made the most of it. She is someone who has always been coachable and asks questions.
 
"We switched up our formation a bit today to give us some different looks. Part of that was getting one more forward on the field for us. That helped us get more things going in the attack. In all areas of the field – defensive third, middle third, offensive third, there are still a lot of areas for growth. I have to keep reminding myself that growth can take time."
 
Stanislaus State responded quickly, scoring for the second time in the 72nd minute. Jocelyn Figueroa inbounded a ball from the left touchline, getting it to Haylee Sousa who passed it back. From 19 yards out near the boundary, Figueroa settled the ball then sent it into the side netting for the goal.
 
"Both of the goals that were scored on us were from distance," pointed out Matthias. "From a defensive standpoint, I'm proud that we didn't give up anything from the run of play. Katie Lannon, in goal, had a couple of big time saves in the run of play that could have swayed the game even more in their favor. She came up big in the moment in the run of play. She did some good stuff and so did our back line. We also didn't give up any goals off of corner kicks. It is just unfortunate that for both of their goals, they happened to hit their spots."
 
Stanislaus outshot the Warriors 6-5 in the first half, but increased that differential to 13-2 in the second half. For the game, Stanislaus held a 7-3 shot-on-goal advantage and took six corner kicks to Westmont's one.
 
"Overall, I am a little more encouraged," allowed Matthias after today's game. "Now that we are through phase one of the season, you look back and see that except at (reigning national champion) Cal Poly Pomona, all of the games have been one-goal games. It is right there. We are right in it."
 
The PacWest season begins on Thursday, October 2 when both the women's and men's soccer teams host Concordia in a doubleheader. The women will kick-off at 12:30 p.m. with the men following at 3:15 p.m.