ROCKLIN, Calif. - The battle of the Warriors kicked off conference play Thursday afternoon as the Warriors hosted the No. 7 Westmont Warriors, holding their opponents to a single goal through the first half, but ultimately losing 5-0. 

While the loss was tough to accept, coach Rachel Moorehead said she felt her team played much better than the scoreboard showed. "Today was one of those matches where the scoreboard does not accurately depict the game. To go into halftime only down 1-0 to the number seven team in the country is a huge accomplishment. We continued to execute our game plan incredibly well."

The match began with both teams setting a physical tone as six fouls were called in the opening 16 minutes of action.

By the 23-minute mark, Westmont (7-1-1, 1-0 GSAC) had four shots as the Warriors' (2-9, 0-1 GSAC) defense stopped each scoring opportunity. Then in the 25th minute, Westmont struck first taking a 1-0 lead.

The following 22 minutes of the half was evenly played as Westmont had five shots to Jessup's two, however, none of them found the back of the net and the teams went into the half with Westmont ahead 1-0. 

In the second half, Jessup was on the attack first as Alhan Bakideh had the first shot of the in the final 45-minutes but the Westmont goalie made a save to maintain the lead.

Westmont's offense responded with four shots before they scored again in the 58th minute taking a 2-0 lead. 

The match's biggest moment came in the 70th minute after Jessup goalkeeper Camille Cavey made a tremendous save but was called for a foul in the goalie box as a Westmont player crashed into her. The foul led to a penalty kick that found the net and Westmont grabbed a 3-0 advantage.

After taking a 3-0 lead Westmont held the momentum and scored two more insurance goals in the 76th and 81st minute to take the first conference victory. 

While the ending wasn't what Moorehead wanted, she said her team played with lots of character and pride throughout the match. "The score wasn't the result we wanted but our takeaways from this match are positive and encouraging as we enter conference play. I am very proud of this team, individually and collectively, for holding themselves to a higher standard of play."

Jessup will be on the road Thursday to continue GSAC play at The Master's at 1:30 p.m.

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