By: Hope Hensley
September 26, 2026
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Returning to Thorrington Field for their Pacific West Conference home opener, the Westmont women's soccer team fought through a grueling, adversity-filled afternoon on Saturday, ultimately falling 2–0 to visiting Dominican.
The match featured an intense opening period marked by physical play and an extended injury stoppage. Despite the unexpected shifts in momentum, the Warriors (1-5-3, 0-2 PacWest) maintained composure, moving the ball smoothly through the midfield and generating quality chances in the final third.
"It's really tough to see an injury like that regardless of sides, and we first and foremost want to wish that player a smooth recovery and healing," said Westmont Head Coach Lauren Matthias. "We did face some adversity today, and getting to halftime tied felt like a positive step given those circumstances. We continued to move the ball well in the first half and had good looks getting into the final third, but we needed to take advantage of that momentum in the first half and get a point on the board."
Westmont's backline and goalkeeper kept the Penguins off the score sheet throughout the opening 45 minutes. Senior goalkeeper Ellie Ludwig turned away four first-half shots on target, while defenders Madison Ford, Daniella Coyle, Estella Bacsafra, and Giselle Cancino organized a resolute defensive unit.
"We were overall proud of our backline and keeper—Ford, Dani, Stella, Giselle C., and Ellie Ludwig—for their communication and problem-solving," praised Matthias.
However, Dominican struck quickly out of the break. Guilianna McCarty opened the scoring in the 46th minute off a rebound inside the box, and Janae Schwan doubled the Penguins' advantage less than four minutes later in the 50th minute.
"Unfortunately, we came out a bit flat in the second half, and good teams will punish that," Matthias noted. "We obviously need to find ways to get the job done in front of the goal. The decision-making and technical execution need to be better from all 11 on the field, and that will be the goal going into the new week."
Ludwig finished the match with eight saves to lead Westmont's defensive efforts. Offensively, Giselle Cancino and Skyler McNamara generated threatening looks for the Warriors, but Westmont was unable to convert against Dominican keeper Michelle Salas Viniegra.
"As a group, it's not the start we wanted to PacWest play, but we can't dwell on it long," said Matthias. "All we can do is take tangible learning points, continue to grow as a group, and lean into the hard. We have to keep striving to commit to the details, not being satisfied, and making better decisions."
Westmont will look to bounce back on Saturday, October 3, when they host Jessup University at Thorrington Field for Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 AM.
