September 23, 2023
Warriors Show Resilience as They Tie with PUC
By Francisco Claudio
The Westcliff women's soccer team showed grit and resilience as they took on Pacific Union College on Friday evening.
The Warriors have struggled early on in the season and were looking to snap their current four-game losing streak.
Although they couldn't come away with the win, this could be the turning point for Westcliff as they tied with PUC, 1-1.
Both teams had their opportunities throughout the match and it was either a goalkeeper or the crossbar denying more goals from entering the net.
PUC struck first as the Warriors were down within the first five minutes of playing time.
The Warriors weren't able to score but took control of the first half with six shots compared to four from PUC.
Westcliff's dominance of the game continued in the second half and it was only a matter of time before they got on the scoreboard.
Alberte Angersbach created a golden opportunity with a precision pass to Samantha Martinez, who scored in the 57th minute, tying the game.
The game was very tense during the latter stages as both teams wanted to walk away with the win.
But it wasn't meant to be on that evening as the Warriors were able to snap the losing streak which could be a sign of better things to come.
Head Coach Jack Gidney shared his thoughts after the game: "It's bittersweet, but it's nice to break the losing streak. We changed the shape, we changed the system, we changed the decisions, and asked them to go back to basics and do the dirty work. I thought they did a really good job and committed to it. You're pleased that you stopped the rut but at the same time, the game was very winnable.
The Warriors dominated the box score with 18 shots to eight for PUC.
The Warriors had all seven of the corner kicks too.
"We had seven corners to nothing and 18 shots to their eight," Gidney said. "So you come away pleased but also thinking of what you could have had. It's encouraging, frustrating, and relieving.
"This is the second beginning. There are a lot of winnable games left and that's our target."
The Warriors have six games left on their schedule and every one of them will be important in order to qualify for the postseason tournament.
Up Next: Westcliff will get a couple of days before they play against USK on Thursday, September 28th.