ROCKLIN, Calif. – The Lady Warriors played host to the University of Dallas for the first time in school history Friday, and by dominating the time of possession Jessup was able to secure the 1-0 victory. Jessup could only find the net one time all day, but they kept their foot on the gas for all 90-minutes to charge their way to their third consecutive victory.
The Warriors came out on the attack right from the whistle, dominating time of possession within their attacking third. Their first real chance at goal came in the 10th minute when junior Rebecca Garcia (Visalia, CA) headed a cross on net, but it was saved by the goalkeeper. Two minutes later, freshman Yvette Perez (Santa Rosa, CA) received the ball 30 yards out and dribbled into the box to take a shot, but it went just wide right. Their closest chance came in the 14th minute when freshman Hannah Lettington (Orangevale, CA) shot from the left edge of the six-yard box, but the keeper made a great kick save.
Finally in the 19th minute the Warriors got on the board. Freshman Cierra Munoz (Las Vegas, NV) struck a dart from 30 yards out that soared over the reach of the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Munoz would try two more times from that exact same spot in the half, but each attempt went just wide. The spectacular goal ended up being the lone goal in the first half.
"We work on possession a lot and spreading the field." said head coach Jamie Howard. "You always walk away asking how can we do better, but I'm really excited about the opportunities we're getting. Now we just need to work on placement and composure."
To start the second half, the Warriors kept their foot on the gas, continuously firing shots at the Dallas defensive line. A close chance came in the 49th minute when Lettington received the ball in the six-yard box and fired towards the top of the net; however, the attempt would be denied by a great save. A number of Jessup chances followed, but with each one the Warriors still found themselves with just the lone first half goal from Munoz.
In total, the Jessup offensive outburst provided a total of 28 shots with 11 of them going on frame. The defensive effort allowed Dallas to attempt just 4 shots with 2 going on goal, making an easy day for freshman goalkeeper Alison Marlow (Huntington Beach, CA).
"I'm very happy with the backline," said Howard. "We don't necessarily have a lot of depth back there but these girls have really come together."
The win moves the Lady Warriors' already perfect record to now 3-0. The season continues on Thursday, September 10, when they travel up the Sierras to Incline Village to face Sierra Nevada College. Jessup returns home on September 14 to host Mills College.
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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).
