IRVINE, Calif. --- UC Irvine women's soccer come from behind and eventually won Sunday night in Anteater Stadium on a 102nd-minute goal from
Chloe Ragon to drop CSUN in double overtime of a non-conference battle.
SEEING RED
The first lead came early in the match as CSUN (1-3) made the move in the 10th minute. An Anteater turnover dropped the ball to Sophie Yanez who did all the work along the right side of the box and turned a shot on net inside the far post for a 1-0 Matador lead.
CSUN continued to push forward with chances, and even outshot the Anteaters in the half, but UCI (2-2) found a spark just before the whistle. The 'Eaters played around their offensive third for a while, and got a break on a turnover made by
Autumn Thompkins. The freshman found
Scarlett Camberos who did the rest - turning, driving, and firing from the top of the box to level things at 1-1 just over a minute before the half.
OVER AND OUT
The sides battled through the entire second half without any goals. UCI held a distinct second-half advantage outshooting the Matadors, 8-1, in the half with all three corner kicks, but the sides needed extra time.
After 10 minutes without a goal in the first overtime, the 'Eaters found the magic touch in the 102nd minute.
Destinee Manzo took the ball soon after being fouled, and fed
Sophie Gillies up the right wing. She took the ball to the touchline and found an opening across the goalmouth to a wide-open
Chloe Ragon who punched the winner home.
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FINAL SCORE / 2OT: UC IRVINE 2, CSUN 1
Despite a slow start for the 'Eaters, they found their rhythm putting up 11 of the final 13 shots in the match and accounted for all seven corner kicks.
"The team didn't have the rhythm early on," noted head coach
Scott Juniper. "It took us a bit, but they never gave in and they fought, and this team got the result they deserved in the end."
Ragon knocked in her second career goal in as many weekends and both have accounted for game-winners.
"It was a great feed from Destinee down the side, and I managed to beat a player and saw Chloe at the back post - easy ball and great finish." from the freshman Gillies who posted her second career assist and continues to lead the squad with six points. Ragon was appreciative of the feed as well accounting for the sudden death game-winner.
"It feels great and I owe it to my team. I had the easy tap-in goal with the wide-open net, they did the work to get the ball up there. Like I said last week, teamwork makes the dream work."
Camberos added a goal for her second of the season now with six in her career. Additional assists in the match came from Thompkins, also the second of her career, and Manzo got her first points of 2021.
Glo Hinojosa earned the win on the night in goal as she entered at halftime but did not face a shot on target.
Taesja Paopao earned the start stopping three first half shots.
Gillies and Ragon spoke for the team echoing coach Juniper's sentiments on the match as a whole. "Our team has a habit of going down when we're behind, but we bounced back and got into a rhythm after a while. It wasn't our best soccer, it was more of a fight, but we fought hard and got the win at the end."
THE WEEK AHEAD
Coach Juniper's Anteaters have split each of the first two weeks of the season now alternating results to sit at 2-2 to this point. Next up is once again a home midweek affair before returning home over the weekend. UCI will start Thursday night at Loyola Marymount with a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The home match will come Sunday with another Big West foe coming in for a non-conference tussle in Cal State Fullerton and a 6:00 p.m. kickoff.
