SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The Sacramento State women's soccer team had its six-match unbeaten streak come to an end of Thursday evening as Saint Mary's escaped Hornet Soccer Field with their own unbeaten record intact following a 3-2 victory over the Hornets.
The defeat was the first of the year for Sacramento State, which fell to 4-1-2 overall, but the Hornets became the first school to put not only one — but two goals — past the Gaels' defense after the visitors entered the match having outscored the opposition, 9-0, in their first seven contests.
Saint Mary's, which entered the week receiving votes in the IWSOC United Soccer Coaches national poll, improved to 5-0-3 on the year with Thursday's result.
The day's first goal came off the foot of junior
Candace Ching, whose spectacular individual effort near the touchline led to her fifth goal of the season. Sent on a run down the left side, Ching wrested the ball away from two Gael defenders and snuck a shot from a tight angle into the right-side netting for the 1-0 lead.
Ching's five goals are not only a career high, but are also the most by a Hornet in a single season since Kylee Kim-Bustillos scored nine times en route to a 21-point season in 2019. The junior has now scored a goal in three consecutive matches after scoring twice against Southern Utah on Aug. 27 and adding the tying goal against Fresno State on Sept. 3, becoming the first Sacramento State player to score in three consecutive contests since Kim-Bustillos did so against California Baptist, San Jose State, and Toledo during that same 2019 campaign.
Saint Mary's wasted little time in finding the equalizer as Penelope Correa netted her first of the year three minutes later, sending the two teams into the locker room knotted up at one apiece at the break.
Out of halftime, the Gaels turned up the heat and finally broke through with the go-ahead goal in the 71st minute as Brooklyn Smith was taken down in the box, drawing a penalty from the referee. Ashlyn Vaughn, the team's leading scorer, buried the attempt for her fourth goal of the season and then added the dagger in the 88th minute off a rebound of a shot by Zoe Maikai to make it 3-1.
Sacramento State clawed back one of the scores just 17 seconds later as Ching sent a ball out wide for freshman
Raegan Rossi, who skitted a ball to the top of the six-yard box for
Marely Velazquez Varela, who calmly poked it home to make it 3-2.
For Rossi, it was her first collegiate point, while Velazquez Varela scored for the first time in her collegiate career. Ching added her first assist of the season, giving her nine points in her last three matches.
The clock, however, was the Hornets' enemy despite efforts to push forward. Sacramento State earned a corner in the final minute and senior
Lexi Schroeder did get a shot off, but it sailed high.
Sophomore goalkeeper
Alexa Malaspina followed up her seven-save performance in a draw at Fresno State last week with a new collegiate best eight-save night against Saint Mary's.
Sacramento State closes out non-conference play on the road next week, traveling to San Jose State on Thursday (Sept. 17) for a 7 p.m. kick-off.
