COSTA MESA, Calif. – The conference portion of the 2016 schedule officially got underway for William Jessup University soccer, with the Lady Warriors hitting the road to take on No. 10 ranked Vanguard University. The Lions showed why they are ranked as highly as they are, as they defeated Jessup by the final of 5-0.
"Yesterday's battle was just that, a very difficult fight in which we performed better than is reflected in the final score," head coach Rachel Constantini reflected. "We lost a crucial piece of our defense when goalkeeper, Hunter Young, went down with an injury."
Vanguard's scoring started off early on in just the fifth minute, when Allie Griffith scored off an assist from Lauran Aronson. The Lions would add their second goal of the day twenty minutes later, as it was Aronson who found the back, as she played the ball off a header from Kim Benner.
Jessup fell behind 3-0 in the first half, as the Lions made it a hat trick of early goals when Madison Lopp slotted the ball into the left side of the goal in the 32nd minute. The goal was assisted by Alex Bachman.
Starting in goal for the Warriors Saturday was junior Hunter Young (Lake Stevens, WA). Young played the first 30-minutes of the match, allowing two goals while recording two saves. Freshman Savanna Yendes (Folsom, CA) replaced Young, playing 60-minutes while allowing three goals and making two saves.
The fourth goal of the game came in the 61st minute, as Lopp recorded her second goal of the day. The goal was assisted by Griffith and Haley Bruce. Vanguard would score again three minutes later, as Bruce picked up her second assist in a row, a she found Backman who headed it in the net.
With the loss, Jessup falls the 3-5 on the season overall, and their record in conference play is now 0-1.
"Regardless of the score line we continue to grow from what was effective and what exposed us," Constantini concluded. "We are looking forward to our next week of matches and will be using this game as tool to grow as a program."
Jessup will get back on the field Wednesday as they play host to Sierra Nevada College at 4:00 p.m. at Jessup Field. GSAC play will continue on October 1 when the Warriors travel to Phoenix for a matchup with Arizona Christian.
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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).
