IRVINE, Calif. – Despite falling behind in the first half, No. 11 Concordia flipped the script down the stretch and outlasted Westmont in a Thursday thriller by a score of 2-1 to stay undefeated.
Concordia's 10-game unbeaten streak was in jeopardy as the visiting Warriors took a 1-0 advantage in the 16th minute on a goal by Amelia Villa. Westmont became the first team to own a lead against CUI all season, which is impressive considering this was game No. 11 for the Golden Eagles this fall.
But in the 79th minute, everything changed.
Concordia's
Nicole Ihlein fed the ball down the right side after a quick restart near midfield. A quick touch pass from
Nikki Marino helped flick the ball to
Maddie Lauro in the corner and she deftly crossed the ball to a crashing
Ashley Grubert. After a brief hesitation while battling for position, Grubert ultimately ushered the ball across the line for the equalizer in the bottom right corner of the net.
The Warriors (5-7-2 overall, 5-2 PacWest) were stunned. And the Golden Eagles (9-0-2 overall, 5-0-1 PacWest) were just getting warmed up.
Barely 100 seconds later, Ihlein again placed the ball ahead to
Bella Barrett more in the central part of the field outside the box. Barrett tapped the ball in the air to herself and then threaded a pass to a cutting
Hailey Havican. As she drew the Westmont goalkeeper and multiple other defenders, Havican coerced the ball towards the goal and towards an opportunistic
Antonella Russo. The sophomore forward found herself wide open and finished the deal to give Concordia a stunning 2-1 lead that it would not relinquish.
It was a massive turnaround for the nationally ranked Golden Eagles after Westmont seemed to be in control for most of the match. Momentum seemed to swing towards the home side in the second half, but still the Warriors eagerly tried to fend off the CUI rushes. It was not until that final 15-minute stretch that the Golden Eagles were finally able to turn the tide.
The Golden Eagles kept pace with the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans as they remained the only women's soccer teams who are still unbeaten in the league this fall.
CUI is now unbeaten in 11 straight games to start the year, and has won 14 of its last 15 home matches dating back to early in the 2023 season. CUI is 14-0-1 on its home turf in that span - with the lone draw being
last Saturday's clash with the Chaminade Silverswords.
The top four teams in the league will qualify for the first PacWest Conference Tournament in women's soccer this November. That will be held starting Thursday, Nov. 14 at nearby Orange County Great Park in Irvine.
CLICK HERE for the updated PacWest Women's Soccer Standings
The Golden Eagles will look to keep it going with their next important match coming quickly in less than 48 hours. CUI visits Azusa Pacific this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. following the men's match at 5 p.m.
CLICK HERE for the full CUI women's soccer schedule
