Concordia Irvine Athletics

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.- The Green and Gold shutout Academy of Art for a 2-0 victory for their first PacWest Conference win on the season on Thursday.

The game started off slow with neither team scoring in the first half.  However, the Eagles had the normal tendencies of showing aggressive play as they took eight shots in the first half compared to ARTU's two.  Throughout the half the Eagles were battling but were unable to find the net.

"We talked about being on the same page, the same side, the same line as a team," says Marianna Maldonado about the halftime talk. "And the second half we really put that out on the field. There was more support in the attack which allowed us to finish what we started in the first half."

Two minutes into the second half, Maldonado took charge and snagged her first goal on the season. 

"I felt really blessed to have scored my first goal," said Maldonado. "It's always a good feeling and being so close the first half we really needed that sort of boost to start playing the game we know."

This gave the Eagles the lead but the team refused to let up.  About eight minutes later, Analisa Gjonovich assisted Jadenn Carrillo who bounced the ball off the crossbar and into the goal.  The freshman leads the Eagles this season with four goals.

The Eagles defensive back line showed their true strength as they shut the Urban Knights out and only allowed three shots.  Danni Barton, Isabella Angotti-Jones, Molly Melanson, Gabby Breton, and Megan Hussey continued to be a solid threat for the opposing offense. 

"We stayed composed and focused on communication throughout our back line," said Angotti-Jones. "When they were attacking, we made sure we were being smart and managed their attack forcing them away from goal. Also, our goalie Cloe Frese was directing us a lot and being aggressive in the back."

With Frese or Kaelyn Whitcomb in the box protecting the goal, the Eagles defense all together is solid and their communication and work ethic creates a tough defense to score on.

"I feel like this game is definitely going to give us momentum for the next games and the ones to come," stated Angotti-Jones on the upcoming games. "We didn't play our game against Fresno and we were frustrated, before this game started today, we said we don't want to feel that way again. We definitely found our rhythm by playing on the ground and being tactical with our plays. I know that we will bring this same energy on Saturday and I'm excited about that!"

As Angotti-Jones said the team is looking forward to their next games which is Saturday, Oct.12 at Holy Names University and then Saturday, Oct. 19 at Azusa Pacific.  For the rest of the Eagles soccer schedule, click here.