Sept. 12, 2008
Box Score
SAN DIEGO, CA - Travelling to the West Coast this weekend, La Salle Women's Soccer first battled with 23rd-ranked San Diego on Friday night and walked away with the same result as they did on Sunday at 27th-ranked Villanova, a 3-2 loss, despite holding a lead at the intermission.
Like in that game with the Wildcats, the Explorers put the first goal on the scoreboard, as Melanie Gamble took a cross from Heather Steadman and found the back of the net just three minutes, 59 seconds into the match.
The lead was short-lived, however, as the Toreros tied the game two minutes later when Stephanie Ochs took a pass from the midfield from Hallie Huston and put the away just 5:55 into the game.
Dana O'Brien would put the Explorers up 2-1 six minutes before intermission with a 35-yard blast off an assist from California native Erin Brennan. It is O'Brien's third straight contest with a goal and her team-leading fourth of the season, while Brennan registered her first collegiate point.
San Diego (4-2) turned the one-goal deficit into a one-goal lead in a matter of 10 minutes. The Toreros knotted the game again in the 67th minute off a corner kick - Natalie Vinti to Elissa Magracia - then in the 77th minute Amy Epsten scored the game-winner off a pass from Magracia.
"This was a real tough battle and our overall effort was great," said Head Coach Paul Royal. "However, San Diego is a real quality squad. They have a lot of flare in the attack that posed some problems for us."
In net for the Explorers was Melissa Sanger, who faced 25 shots and made 11 saves - the most by an Explorer goalie since September 7, 2005 when Lauren Malizia made 13 in a 2-0 loss at Lehigh - put took the loss. Courtney Parsons, who had won three straight games for San Diego, was pulled at the half for Brittany Cameron and she made two saves in the second half to pick up her first win of the season.
La Salle has now netted a pair of goals in each of the first five games to start the 2008 season for the first time in school history - the previous best was three straight in 1997 and 1999. Dating back to last season, the Explorers have scored at least two goals in eight straight games, the longest stretch since a nine-game stretch that ended the 2001 season (seven straight Oct. 19 - Nov. 9) and started the first two games of 2002 (Aug. 30 - Sept. 1).
La Salle (3-2) will conclude its West Coast weekend with a contest at UC Riverside, Sunday at 3 PM EST
