Bulldogs advance to second round with 2-1 win over Panthers
ORANGE, Calif. – A two-goal game by junior F Fionna Connolly gave the University of Redlands a 2-1 win over the Chapman University women's soccer team in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championships on Thursday night at Wilson Field.
With the win, Redlands has advanced to a second round matchup at No. 15 Cal Lutheran on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Redlands now holds a 3-0 advantage over Chapman all-time in postseason games. The Panthers are now 4-7 all-time in Division III Championships play.
In the 35th minute, Redlands (11-9) got out to a 1-0 lead on a breakaway goal by Connolly who got behind Chapman's defense off an assist by sophomore M Samantha Rivera and capitalized on a one-on-one opportunity against the goalie. Connolly who had one of Redlands' two goals in a 3-2 loss to Chapman in September had two goals tonight and now has a team-high 11 scores.
With a little less than five minutes before the end of the first half, Chapman (12-7) evened the score at 1-1 when senior M Bridget Thomson scored from right in front of the goal off assists from freshman F Val Sobol and sophomore F Aimee Evans.
Redlands and Chapman each had a scoring opportunity in the first 10 minutes of the second half but both teams came up empty. Then in the 71st minute, Connolly scored her second goal of the game off a rebound of her own shot for the game-winning score.
For the second time this season, Redlands' defense held Chapman to seven shots. The Bulldogs outshot the Panthers14-7, including a 9-3 advantage in the second half. Sophomore GK Rachel Foreman had two saves for Redlands.
by Chris Watts
Sports Information Assistant
Boxscore: http://chapmanathletics.com/sports/wsoc/2010-11/files/ur-cu2.htm