Women’s Soccer: Lions fall, lose conference lead
Every once in a while, Randy Dodge reminds himself to breathe. He stops in the flash point of frustration to consider the bigger picture; to gather grace in exchange for his gall and to strive for patience when, as a younger soccer coach, petulance might have gotten the better of him.
It helped, of course, that after Dodge’s Vanguard women’s team lost, 1-0, to visiting Westmont in a crucial Golden State Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, he could twirl his giggling daughter around his back in place hurling backlash at his players.
It didn’t hurt either that the No. 10-ranked Lions were not displaced, only joined atop GSAC standings with two regular-season contests remaining against teams near the bottom of those standings.
“You just want your kids to be successful, at the end of the day,” said Dodge, whose Lions (13-2-1, 6-2 in conference) remained with 18 points (three points for a win and one for a tie), in the crowded GSAC title race. “You want them to compete and I don’t think they did that today. We had quite a few kids who didn’t.”
A more subjective eye might have challenged Dodge’s view as the teams split 24 shots and effort appeared to be at a premium from those in both uniforms.
But Dodge ball requires even greater passion, as well as the kind of soccer IQ that protects a team from unexpected peril.
The Lions, however, found themselves unprotected in the 13th minute, when a defensive lapse left a comfortable margin of space for Westmont junior forward Kelsey Steck to dribble deep into the box. Steck, a few yards inside the right post, fired a blast directly at the chest of well-positioned Vanguard goalkeeper Lauren Terry, who reached up to bat the ball back toward the field of play. But Steck, still unchecked, was there to direct the rebound inside the far post to help lift the No. 11-ranked Warriors (12-3, 6-2) into what is now a three-way tie for first place.
No. 18-ranked Biola, which scored in the second overtime to defeat San Diego Christian on Wednesday, is also tied for first.
No. 8-ranked Concordia, upset, 1-0, by sixth-place Hope International on Wednesday, remains in the hunt with 16 points, as does No. 13-ranked The Master’s. Concordia and The Master’s both have a 5-2-1 conference mark.
“We had some girls play their worst games today and you can’t do that in a big game,” Dodge said. “Lauren Terry was the only senior that was good today. And the freshmen who have been fantastic for us, struggled. They couldn’t deal with the pressure.”
Dodge was also quick to praise the Warriors, whose decisively crisp passing and constant hustle kept them consistently a step ahead of the hosts.
“All credit to [the Warriors],” Dodge said. “I thought they did a great job. Their midfield is fantastic. I think they are very average at the other positions, but their midfield is big-time.”
Still, Dodge could not hide his displeasure with his own team.
“It’s disappointing because we’re right there [a win would have kept the Lions in sole possession of first place, three points ahead of the nearest rival] and they weren’t willing to bust through. I just don’t think we played for 90 minutes.”
The most effective minutes for Vanguard, which has been blanked only once before this season (a 2-0 home loss to Concordia on Sept. 27) were the first five.
Junior forward Madison Cody kissed a header off the crossbar in the fifth minute and Vanguard teammate Ashley McCutcheon, a junior defender, bounced the rebound off the top left corner of the frame.
Seconds later, McCutcheon headed a corner kick from senior Jennifer Martin toward the goal, forcing junior keeper Lauren Dorr to make the first of her two saves.
Dorr got some help from a teammate midway though the first half, when a Westmont field player halted a shot from Vanguard senior defender Makenna Yarbor that had evaded Dorr and would have found the net without the dramatic defensive intervention.
Terry, one of seven Lions lauded before the game as part of Senior Day, made five saves.
McCutcheon and freshman forward Madison Lopp had three shots apiece, while Martin had two for the hosts.
Vanguard can earn at least a share of its second GSAC regular-season crown in three seasons by posting road wins against Hope International (3-4 in conference) on Tuesday and Arizona Christian (0-8 in conference) on Nov. 1.
The GSAC postseason tournament begins Nov. 4.