March 25, 2011
Box Score
PHILADELPHIA -
Arolla shared game-high goalscoring honors with La Salle's Melanie Sarcinello, with each player scoring four goals.
Cal has put together a 2-1 record so far on this spring break road trip, which began with a 16-4 loss at Ohio State and continued with a 9-8 win at Drexel.
"The Ohio State game and this whole week has been character building for the team, and we have a young group," Cal head coach Theresa Sherry said. "We've been trying to tighten up things on the defensive and attacking ends this week. To be able to pull out close games against Drexel and La Salle was good for this group. Everything hasn't been pretty, but we have been able to get the job done, finish it out and get wins in the last two game. I'm proud of the players."
Junior midfielder Vail Horn put Cal on the scoreboard first by scoring 51 seconds into the game. Sarcinello knotted the match at 1-1 at 2:18.
The first half featured ties at 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4. Sophomore midfielder Clemmy Little converted an eight-meter shot at 23:58 for Cal's fourth goal. Sophomore midfielder Melissa Humphrey scored another eight-meter goal at 25:46 to give Cal a 5-4 lead it took into halftime.
Horn also scored the first goal of the second half, this time at 31:54, to put Cal ahead two goals at 6-4.
But the Explorers went on a 4-0 run, capped by Sarcinello's free-position goal, to give the host team an 8-6 lead at 41:41.
Amelia Burke scored at 43:48 to cut into that lead; Cal trailed 8-7. The freshman midfielder played a big role in Cal's possession game, as she grabbed a team-high six draw control, including the one after her goal. Arolla scored her second of the game at 47:14 to knot the game at 8-8.
Lauren McDermott scored unassisted at 48:06 to move La Salle back into the lead at 9-8. Burke earned the ensuing draw, and eventually Arolla converted a free-position shot at 54:33 to tie the game at 9-9.
Burke nabbed the draw, and Cal peppered the La Salle defense with five shots. With the fifth, Arolla scored her fourth goal of the game and her fourth game-winning goal of the season at 58:29 to give Cal the 10-9 lead. Horn corralled the following draw, and neither team recorded another shot the rest of the way.
"Amelia Burke did a great job on draw controls, and possession was a big difference in the game," Sherry said. "We were struggling on defense. Our attackers were redefending and getting the ball back before it could get to our defensive end. If we made mistakes, we tried to correct them before they really hurt us.
"Tara Arolla had a great game with four goals, especially with those two coming at the end, tying and winning the game for us. It's really good to see us come away with this win on her shoulders."
Cal winds up its road trip with another nonconference match at 9 a.m. PT on Sunday, March 27, at Villanova. The Bears return to the Bay Area to play at rival and seventh-ranked Stanford at 7 p.m. on April 1.
