Oct. 15, 2010
Final Stats
Post-Game Video
BERKELEY - After the Cal women's soccer team allowed its 2-0 lead to slip to a 2-2 tie at 89:18, sophomore forward Lauren Battung netted her second score of the game with four seconds remaining in regulation to give Cal the 3-2 victory over Washington on Friday afternoon.
Battung scored the first (47:30) and last (00:04) goals of the game with freshman forward Rachel Mercik accounting for Cal's other score to improve their Golden Bears to 6-3-4 overall and 1-2-0 in the Pac-10 Conference while the Huskies fall to 9-4-1 and 2-1-0 in the Pac-10.
"Over the course of 90 minutes, Washington was the better squad today," Cal head coach Neil McGuire said. "They were sharper and certainly more disciplined. Coach Gallimore had them ready, and we feel fortunate to have scraped by with the victory."
After a scoreless first half, the Bears established a two-goal lead with goals in the 48th and 66th minute. Washington struck in the 69th and then tied the conference match at 89:18. With a foul called on Washington, Cal hastily assembled to take a direct free kick. With a keen awareness of the clock, Battung chipped the goal in for the gamewinner.
"I just saw that the clock didn't stop, and we weren't sure if it would because Alex was still on the ground, but Megan [Jesolva] noticed it didn't stop," Battung noted of the seconds before her goal. "I was just running through my mind about how many times we've been in this situation going into overtime. I just wanted to put it away."
The game marked the initial conference win for the Bears this year as well as the first victory against Washington since 2007 after Cal struggled in Husky territory the past two seasons. Battung scored her fifth and sixth goals while Mercik's score was her second of her budding Cal career.
The Bears struggled mightily in the first half, only taking one shot on goal, the lowest of any regulation period yet this season. Cal rebounded in the second half, outshooting UW, 9-5, as opposed to the first-half statistic of 1-6. In all, the Huskies outshot the Bears, 11-10. Battung led all participants with five shots. Emily Kruger made four saves between the posts as did Jorde Lafrontaine-Kussman.
"We weren't in rhythm," McGuire said. "We weren't in sync and Washington was better prepared, especially early in the match. In the second half, we were able to play relatively well and found a way to get it done."
McGuire's key scorer in the game echoed his sentiments.
"I think we struggled a little bit in the first half," Battung said of her squad's offense. "We were sitting a little too far deep but we definitely improved in the second half. When we play as a unit, we're pretty much unstoppable because few can handle our speed."
As Battung alluded, the Bears have found themselves down goals late in games after holding the lead. To combat this problem, Cal focused on not being complacent to avoid allowing the opposition to score as the clock dwindles.
"We have to look closely at what's going on with us that we're losing late goals," McGuire said. "We have to fix that. To come back after they tied the game with 40 seconds to play and score with four seconds left was good for the team. Lauren Battung made a very heads up play to shoot past the keeper from 20 yard with little time left."
After 47 minutes of scoreless play, Mercik shot the ball, but UW keeper Jorde Lafontaine-Kussman was there to make what Neil McGuire called a "magnificent stop." Battung handily collected the rebound and shot it left to right, putting it in the back left corner.
With the Bears rejuvenated with their improved play, the game continued. In the 66th minute, senior midfielder Emily Shibata sent the ball flying towards Mercik on a bounce. With the calmness of an upperclassman, the freshman Mercik headed it into the back right corner.
"I'm really excited for Rachel because she's a very talented player who hasn't had a lot of playing time recently," McGuire said. "For her to get on the end of a long service and score from about 20 yards is exciting because she got a goal to help us win and that will help her confidence."
A foul by Cal gave the Huskies a free kick in the 68th minute. Kate Deines took it and sent it sailing past a diving Emily Kruger to the right side of the goal.
Sarah Martinez tallied the equalizer at 89:16 with an assist from Mckenna Waitley in a scrum in the goal mouth. The scoreboard read 2-2 for exactly 38 seconds before Battung scored the gamewinner.
With the win, the Bears brought themselves one game closer to turning the all-time record in their favor for it now stands at 9-11-0 with the Huskies.
The weekend with Washington continues on Sunday with a noon match against Washington State. In that series, Cal is ahead, 11-6-3, in the all-time meetings. Sunday's game is free for all to attend.
