By Jacob Rodriguez, Sept. 24, 2024
Cal Poly Pomona women’s soccer’s forward Tara Oper scored the game winning goal to knock off the No.1 ranked reigning National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II champion Point Loma Nazarene University in a 1-0 victory Sept. 12.
The Broncos faced the 2023 PacWest Champion Sea Lions in their first matchup of the weekend at Kellogg Stadium. Both teams entered the match undefeated at 2-0 on the season.
CPP recorded two shots early on by defender Liberty Ortiz and Oper high off the top of the post while Point Loma remained shotless in the first 25 minutes.
Head coach Jay Mason highlighted the grittiness in the team’s play against the top ranked Sea Lions.
“We had good spells in the first half,” Mason said. “We had good transitions in the second, but even when it got frantic, we didn’t break. It was something we talked about in preseason that we stick together no matter how hard it got, so today I was really happy. I think we can improve on some things, but that’s why we play teams like Point Loma because we want to compete with them for a national title.”
Forward Angelina Rivas pulled the ball back to deliver a pass to Oper, allowing her to unleash a left-footed strike that carried over Point Loma’s goalkeeper Julia Pinnell’s head and into the far side of the net at 26:04.
The Broncos took an early 1-0 lead. Rivas earned her second assist of the season, and Oper collected her seventh career goal and fourth game-winner to give the Broncos an early 1-0 advantage.
“It was a rewarding feeling,” said Oper. “We were pushing on transition, and Angelina and I have a really good connection. I told her, ‘You go for it, won it and saved it.’ And I cut in and told myself, ‘I need to hit it.’”
The Broncos looked to continue the momentum into the second half, collecting four shots to the Sea Lions’ five.
Point Loma got out of the gates early in the second half. An attempted shot by forward Jillian Tubbs in the first couple of seconds paved way for the Sea Lions to outshoot CPP five to one but were unable to find the net.
Goalkeeper Bella Hara finished with a season high five saves on the night for her 10th career shutout, securing the 1-0 victory for the Broncos.
“Our main focus for us as a team was never giving up from start to finish,” said Oper.
The win over Point Loma marked the program’s first victory over a No. 1-ranked opponent and improved the team’s record to 3-0 on the season.
CPP traveled to Santa Barbara to take on Westmont College in the second matchup of the weekend.
Each team attempted a shot within the first minute. Defender Giselle Samayoa missed wide to the left at 4:40.
The Broncos pressed forward till the 21:49 mark. An assist by midfielder Auburn Burnett set up forward Vanessa Cruz for the opening goal, her first as a Bronco.
CPP scored two more goals by reigning CCAA Offensive Player of the Week midfielder Marisa Salazar and forward Alexis Macias within the next eight minutes, erasing any doubt for the Broncos.
Salazar scored her second goal at 50:38 after intercepting a pass from Westmont, banking it into the back of the net from 30 yards away to increase the lead to 4-0.
Westmont applied pressure to the Broncos behind a goal late in the game by midfielder Amelia Villa, her first of the 2024 season.
With two minutes remaining, CPP responded with an assist by defender Lizzy Northcott to allow Macias her second goal of the game in the bottom left corner.
CPP collected 19 shots to Westmont’s seven, overwhelming the Warriors with aggressive offense in a 5-1 victory, the first time since 2019 the Broncos have scored five goals.
The Broncos’ 4-0 start to the season marks the first time the program has been undefeated since 2009 and the first time under Mason.
“We are going to work,” Mason said. “We’re going to get up tomorrow and get prepared. We are going to ask the same thing of these guys every day to be focused and stick together. Nothing changes; it’s just one of a thousand moments that we will see this year.”
The Broncos received a No. 7 ranking in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, the program’s first top 25 ranking since 2019 and the highest since 2001.
Photos courtesy of Will G. MacNeil