Warriors Draw Even Against Occidental College

Warriors Draw Even Against Occidental College
September 4, 2023
By Francisco Claudio
 
Westcliff women's soccer continued their preparation for the start of conference games happening the first week of September.
 
The Warriors hosted Occidental College on Saturday in Costa Mesa where both teams had to settle with a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes.
 
Both teams had their chances in the first half but either the goalkeepers or the crossbar prevented any goals from getting through to the net.
 
After the first 45 minutes, the teams went into the locker room even at zero.
 
Westcliff had six shots to Occidental College's four in the first half.
 
The Warriors had the only two corner kicks in the first half.
 
Less than two minutes into the second half Westcliff's Isabella Saavedra had a golden opportunity after Briana Mancilla had her shot blocked.
 
The ball landed in front of Saavedra who kicked it in with power putting the Warriors up 1-0.
 
The atmosphere and intensity went up a level after the first goal as both teams' cheers could be heard throughout the Orange Coast College football stadium.
 
The visiting team did not hang their heads and a cross from Overnell found an open Steadman who finished with a bicycle kick into the net in the 52nd minute.
 
Both teams had more opportunities in the second half but it wasn't meant to be as the horn went off to end the game. 
 
Head Coach Jack Gidney shared his thoughts after the game: "After the loss on Wednesday, we're trying to make sure we keep the morale where it is and that we find the basics again for the performance. I thought they did that, thought they were great.
 
"They moved the ball, controlled the game, had lots of possessions, and they created chances."
 
After a rough start to the season due to injuries, this was more like the Warriors' style of playing for the defending Cal Pac champs.
 
"The performance overall I thought was fantastic," Gidney said. "Obviously we're not at the Great Park so it's in an unfamiliar surrounding here, but it's a great place to play soccer.
 
For the game, Westcliff had 14 shots compared to 11 from Occidental.
 
The Warriors had all three corner kicks, none from Occidental. 
 
"We trained really great this week and felt like we got the groove back," Gidney said. "The performance was where it needed to be today and I thought we deserved the win.
 
"But that's the sport sometimes. You can play poorly and win or you can play brilliantly and lose."
 
With the tie, the Warriors are 0-1-1 this season.
 
They will try to get the first win on the record this upcoming week as the conference schedule begins.
 
Westcliff will host Embry-Riddle on Thursday, September 7th, at 7:00PM.
 
The game will take place in the stadium of the OC Great Park.