“We started the game a little slow and we were not quite ready for the pressure Bakersfield applied,” said head coach Julie Woodward. “We did a much better job in the second half and were able to keep possession and dictate the pace of the game. Taylor Ritzman and Stephanie Verdoia both scored great goals and our backline of Mary [Hill], Monique [Escalera], Kelly [Beck], Kiana [Kraft], and Heather [Thomas] had a great second half.”
In the 12th minute, Taylor Ritzman (Holladay, Utah) scored what would be the game-winning goal off a run from seven yards out. Stephanie Verdoia (Salt Lake City, Utah) recorded the assist.
Verdoia would take two more shots, both on either side of the goal, while Natasha Howe (Mission Viejo, Calif.) would add a shot of her own, to close out the first half as the Redhawks held on to a 1-0 lead.
Verdoia scored a goal of her own, her seventh of the season, in the 50th minute, assisted by Kat Prati (Moorpark, Calif.), to insure the 2-0 Redhawk win.
Verdoia led the Redhawks with five shots, two on goal, as SU outshot CSUB, 14-7, as a team. Ritzman recorded two shots while seven other Redhawks each took one shot apiece.
In goal, Brianna Smallidge (Port Orchard, Wash.) recorded five saves in the shutout victory while Tori Ornela also recorded five saves for Bakersfield.
Since allowing Grand Canyon to score a goal in the first half of their match on Sept. 20, the Redhawks have now scored 15 straight unanswered goals.
Seattle U remains on the road, facing Utah Valley on Sunday, Oct. 6 at 12 p.m. PT. A link to available live stats is on the women’s soccer schedule page at GoSeattleU.com. “Like” Seattle U Athletics and Seattle U Women’s Soccer on Facebook, follow @su_athletics and @seattleuwsoc on Twitter, and @su_redhawks and @seattleuwsoc on Instagram for all the latest on the team.