IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine women's soccer was tested on a late goal from Loyola Marymount Friday afternoon in Anteater Stadium, but a brilliant play put UCI back on top for good in the 2-1 victory.
It all started from a nice play along the left wing from senior midfielder
Kelsee Pottorff gathering a ball and finding the open space. She fed a ball through to
Lili Andino which was helped along by
Alex Karlowitsch on the way, and Andino made a clinical second touch to poke the ball Lion keeper Charlee Pruitt behind the defense to put the 'Eaters up, 2-1, in the 86th minute.
UCI (1-2-1) had held onto a lead it earned late in the first half for the entire second stanza until LMU (2-2-1) found an equalizer. The Lions earned its fifth corner of the match in the 83rd minute which was quickly turned aside by the 'Eater defense, but it gave them another corner which Sarina Bolden placed perfectly near the far post hitting Jalyn Lupo to put home the tying strike in the 83rd minute to make it 1-1.
The Anteaters got their first goal from the same way that LMU did in the first half.
Reema Bzeih set up for the UCI corner in the 34th minute dropping it right in the middle of the six-yard box, and
Aleah Kelley broke free to head it straight down and in putting UC Irvine ahead, 1-0
The Anteater defense did enough in front of
Maddie Newsom to keep things their way and sew up the 2-1 win. Newsom stopped a pair of shots, much like her counterpart Pruitt, including a dangerous play down the stretch run of the first half where he hit the ball with her hand, foot, and watched the ball careen off the post and stay out.
Andino's goal was the 10th of her career and just the second game-winner along with her first points of the season. The other goal coming from Kelley was the first goal and point of her illustrious career.
Three Anteaters came away with assists on the day. Bzeih netting her 11th career assist on Kelley's goal. Karlowitsch and Pottorff teamed up on the game-winner for their 13th and second career assists, respectively.
The victory puts UCI in the win column for the first time this season finishing the opening homestand 1-2-1. Next up is the beginning of a five-match road trip starting next week in Oregon as the Nike Portland Invitational kicks off Friday with the 'Eaters squaring off with Washington before tackling the host, Portland, on Sunday, Sept. 9.
NOTES: Newsom made two saves moving her into eighth all-time among Anteater career leaders with 149 passing Sarah Swancutt...
Lili Andino is the team's active scoring leader boosting her career totals to 10 goals and 23 points...UCI remains unbeaten when wearing white kits (1-0-1)...2 of UCI's 3 goals this season have been scored by defenders after having 0 in 2017...the program has collected 313 career victories and 169 at home...UCI assumes the lead in the all-time series with LMU now at 6-5-4...the win for UCI is its first vs. LMU since 2013 and first vs. LMU in Anteater Stadium since 1997
