SAN DIEGO, Calif. – In a battle of two of the top ranked teams in all of NCAA Division II, it was No. 6 Concordia University Irvine besting No. 15 Point Loma on Saturday in a rematch from last year's playoffs.
CUI emerged with a 2-1 victory over the defending national champions and avenged a recent playoff loss to the Sea Lions. CUI also stayed undefeated and snapped Point Loma's six-game winning streak.
Shortly after halftime,
Hailey Havican pounced on a turnover in the box to give Concordia a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute. The ball came loose to her right on the doorstep and she immediately shot it into the back of the net to catch the Sea Lions off guard.
The score remained 1-0 for most of the second half until a jam packed 78th minute.
The tempo of the game shifted down the stretch and CUI (8-0-1, 4-0 PacWest) had just earned a corner kick after making a couple clears on the defensive end.
Mya Stice went on a great run to draw the corner, which set up Havican with another scoring opportunity.
After her initial corner kick deflected back towards her, Havican hugged the line and attacked with a few dribbles towards the near post. She made a fancy juke and crossed over a defender before she dished the ball at the perfect time to a crashing
Antonella Russo. Russo deposited the ball past the goalie for an important insurance goal that made it 2-0.
It turned out to be super important, because just 16 seconds later, Point Loma (8-2-1, 5-1 PacWest) responded with a goal of its own. Alanna Diaz scored for the Sea Lions after making a great run and Grace Nelson found her to cut the lead to 2-1.
The Golden Eagles held on to seal the victory and CUI goalie
Riley Urquiza was credited with three saves. In the second half alone, Urquiza had multiple moments that were critical, including a diving stop to her left and leaping full extension to pop away a top shelf shot over the cross bar.
It was a huge win, given the continued success of both programs, the national rankings, and the history between these two perennial playoff contenders.
"This game honestly meant a lot to us and this team," said CUI defender
Nicole Ihlein. "Given our history, it stings a little bit knowing we were so close to being NCAA champions last year, so we knew this game was gonna be a fight both physically and mentally. It's also such a big rivalry for us always and so the energy is definitely high when we play them because they are a good opponent as well. This year especially, we know we are gonna see them multiple times this year due to the PacWest tournament as well, so the fight continues!"
"First off, I am proud of every player - from the big contributors to the encouragers," said CUI head coach
Chris Gould. "Both teams had chances to win, we happened to be the team that took more on the day."
"Point Loma is a great team and they gave everything," added Gould. "I thought our players dug in and didn't break. It's something we need to take with us in the big games coming up."
CUI had not allowed a goal in any of the team's first eight matches this season. The Golden Eagles put together an impressive shutout streak to open the season that lasted 797 minutes and 40 seconds.
Dating back to last year's playoff game against Point Loma, that total is over 800 consecutive scoreless minutes and is the second-longest streak in program history. Last year's squad holds the school record for not conceding a goal with 913 consecutive minutes stretched across 11 matches.
The first half featured both defenses settling in and only allowing a handful of openings for shots on either end of the pitch.
Nikki Marino did have two chances for the Golden Eagles but Point Loma was able to keep things scoreless before intermission.
Next up for Concordia is a home date with Chaminade on Saturday, October 19 at 6:30 p.m. That match follows the men's game at 4 p.m. as part of a PacWest doubleheader.
The Golden Eagles have won 13 straight home matches dating back to the second game of the 2023 season. Incredibly, CUI has shutout opponents in 12 of those 13 home games.
CLICK HERE for the updated CUI women's schedule
