FULLERTON, Calif. – The William Jessup Lady Warriors capped off their season-long four-game road trip on Saturday, taking on Golden State Athletic Conference foes Hope International. After starting the season with a perfect 7-0 record, the Warriors suffered their fifth straight loss as they fell 2-0.
The home Royals found the scoreboard first Saturday just over ten minutes into regulation. Allyssa Stencil played a ball from Tara McNaught about ten yards out and hit a curving ball into the net to give Hope International the early advantage. The Warriors offense in the first half struggled to find the frame as they placed only two shots on goal.
In the second half, the Warriors caught a bit of bad luck as they were forced to play a man down for the final twenty-minutes when junior Michelle Sandage (Carson City, NV) was issued her first red card of the season. The Royals capitalized on the red-card, putting the game out of reach with a goal in the 88th minute. On a close play where the goalkeeper tried to come on and collect the ball before the attacker could get to it, McNaught chipped the ball over the keeper on her first touch.
In goal for Jessup Saturday was freshman Allison Marlow (Huntington Beach, CA). Marlow recorded eight saves in the loss while allowing just the two goals. Marlow has recorded 17 saves in her last two matches, and she sits fifth in the GSAC for most saves. Offensively for the Warriors Saturday, Jessup was able to fire eight shots with five aiming on goal.
With Saturday's loss, the Warriors record falls to 7-5 overall on the season and 0-4 in conference play. Jessup currently sits in eighth place in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings, trailing first place (10)Westmont College by 13 points.
"We have a bunch of players out with illness and injuries and it shows," said Jessup head coach Jamie Howard. "Girls continue to play hard and, unfortunately, the results don't show it. We need to start connecting better in the attacking third. We were down a goal and even when we were down a man on the field we had some great chances but couldn't connect."
Jessup will now get the luxury of playing on their home field for the first time since Sept. 26 (2-1 Loss vs Vanguard Univ.) when they play host to GSAC rivals Arizona Christian University (2-6, 0-4 GSAC) on Thursday. That game will be the first of a four-game home stand for the Warriors. Game time Thursday is slated for 12:30 p.m.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
