“I was really pleased with our game today,” said head coach Julie Woodward. “Most importantly, we got a shutout, which we hadn’t had in a few games. I was really happy defensively with how we played. Offensively, it was nice to put some goals in the back of the net early. Cal Poly is a good team; they’ve been scoring a lot of goals, so I thought it was a great win for us.”
Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City, Utah) broke through in the 24th minute, as Kat Prati (Moorpark, Calif.) and Taylor Ritzman (Holladay, Utah) brought the ball down the right side, passing it to Verdoia who gave the Redhawks the 1-0 lead.
In the 35th minute, a Seattle U player was taken down just outside the box, resulting in a free kick by Ava Ames (Seattle, Wash.) to give the Redhawks the 2-0 advantage.
Less than four minutes later, at exactly the 39th minute mark, Jacqui Wallis (Lake Oswego, Ore.) added to the Redhawk tally, taking the ball down the middle after a pass from Verdoia.
Holding a 3-0 advantage at the half, Seattle U would score one more goal for insurance in the 48th minute, as Julia Besagno (Maple Valley, Wash.) scored on a penalty kick after Verdoia was pulled down in the box.
“I thought we had some individuals who stepped up for us today,” continues Woodward. “Taylor Ritzman and Monique Escalera got their first start of the season and I thought they both did an excellent job for us.”
Prati led the team with five shots, two on goal, while Verdoia added three of her own. Overall, the Redhawks outshot Cal Poly, 18-7.
In goal, Brianna Smallidge (Port Orchard, Wash.) got the start for Seattle U, making four saves, while Aris Coover (Bellevue, Wash.) saw her first playing time of the 2013 regular season, making one save in a complete second half. For Cal Poly, Alyssa Giannetti got the start, making two saves, while Heather Rouhier played the entire second half, also making two saves.
After topping Grand Canyon on Sept. 20, Seattle U continues Western Athletic Conference play next weekend hosting Kansas City on Sept. 27 and New Mexico State on Sept. 29. For all the latest updates, stay tuned to GoSeattleU.com, Seattle U Athletics on Facebook, @su_athletics on Twitter, and su_redhawks on Instagram.