ROCKLIN, Calif. – Coming off a road trip in Oregon this past weekend in which the Lady Warriors were sent home empty handed, Jessup returned to their home pitch on Saturday to take on an old foe from their CALPAC days, the Marymount University Mariners. Aided by some early offense, Jessup was able to battle their way to a 3-2 victory, earning their first home win of the year.
"This was huge," said head coach Rachel Constantini after the win. "We have been working so hard, and doing all the right things, and finally it came to fruition. Everything came together and we were able to pull out the (win) today."
It did not take long at all for Jessup to get on the board Thursday, as in just the 2nd minute the Warriors were awarded a free kick. Sophomore Yvette Perez (Santa Rosa, CA) rocketed in a shot from 30 yards out on the free kick that deflected off the outstretched reach of the Mariners' keeper, grazing the crossbar and then falling into the net.
Ten minutes later, Jessup again found themselves adding to their lead when freshman Isabel House (Ione, CA) headed in a cross from junior Kailee Soares (Antioch, CA). The goal was House's first of her collegiate career.
"That was huge for our confidence," added Constantini on their early on slot of offense. "The girls really needed to see that they were capable of putting the ball in the back of the net, and being able to do that in the first fifteen-minutes really set the tone of the game."
Marymount was able to finally start producing some offense late in the second half. Their first goal of the day came in the 78th minute when Yasmyn Andrade took a pass from Adrianna Cabral, and chipped it from the edge of the box over the reach of goalkeeper, senior Brianna Evans (Roseville, CA), who was racing to clear the ball.
Jessup countered the late Marymount goal with an insurance strike of their own in the 81st minute, when freshman Katie Camerer (Lincoln, CA) scored her first goal of her collegiate career. The Mariners would cut the lead back to one just under two minutes later on a goal by Brooke Ybarra, assisted by Jasmine Cervantes, but it wouldn't be enough to steal the victory.
"I keep going back to the word we've been using all year: resilience," said Constantini of her team's ability to finish strong. "Every time we get knocked down, and every time we feel we're being set back we rise to the occasion and finish what needs to be done."
The Lady Warriors will hope to keep this momentum rolling, as they will take the field once again on Tuesday, as Jessup is set to play host to one of their longtime rivals, Simpson University, at 2:00 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)
