Posted: Sep 03, 2014
Women's soccer kicks off season with three straight wins
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University women's soccer team kicked off its season with three straight wins in Portland, Ore. this past weekend. The Panthers' first win made a statement, as they defeated No. 14 in the nation Puget Sound (Wash.) 2-1 on Friday night.
The Panthers continued their hot streak with a 2-1 win in overtime over Lewis & Clark (Ore.) on Saturday night and then furthered it to 3-0 by defeating George Fox (Ore.) 1-0 on Labor Day.
Senior F Rebeccah Bortz opened the season in grand style, recording three goals in the three games. Bortz went 3-for-3 scoring on every one of her shots on goal, including two game-winning goals. Bortz was clutch, scoring the 'golden goal' against Lewis & Clark in overtime and scoring the only goal the victory over George Fox.
Entering her 11th season, Coach Courtney Calderon expects depth to be a key factor in their continued success this season, as the Panthers have the luxury of 21 returners, 16 of those being upper classmen.
Playing in front of the goal is sophomore GK Kristin Kleinow, who has appeared in 11 games over the past two seasons, recording 736 minutes in goal and a 2-0-1 record. This past weekend she started all three games, had one shutout and 14 saves earning a .875 saves percentage.
Chapman (10-10-1 overall, 7-7 SCIAC) last season reached double-digit wins for the fourth time in the last five seasons, but failed to compile a winning record, missing out on the opportunity to defend their SCIAC Postseason Tournament title.
Chapman will host No. 18 Hardin-Simmons (Texas) on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Wilson Field. The Cowgirls handed the Panthers a 7-1 loss in Abilene, Texas in their last meeting and another loss 0-1 back in 2012.
by Raquel Rinauro
Sports Information Assistant
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