USD topples LMU in conference opener

Women’s soccer comes out on the victorious side of 2-0 shutout in Los Angeles

Yana Kouretas / Contributor / The USD Vista

The University of San Diego women’s soccer team visited the Loyola Marymount Lions on Saturday for each team’s West Coast Conference opener. USD recently suffered heavy losses after the Pepperdine Waves overcame them 4-1 at home and No. 4 UCLA defeated them 3-0 in Los Angeles, but were set to move past these non-conference losses and get back on track for the start of a new season. 

The Toreros also looked to extend their winning streak against the Lions to four games and succeeded in doing so, capitalizing with a 2-0 win. 

Sophomore goalkeeper Ellyn Casto proved a strong start to the season by keeping the score at a shutout. She commented on the path that the team took together after learning from their past mistakes. 

“The team definitely showed up; everybody really showed up to play with the intensity of wanting to be there and wanting to win. The team chemistry looked really good,” Casto said. “This game was similar to how we played against UCLA aggression-wise but even more so with the togetherness.”

The Toreros kicked off their victory in the 20th minute with a goal from first-year forward Katie Baxter after she followed up two previous shot attempts off a Torero corner, finally sailing her shot over the head of Lions goalkeeper Kendyll Humphreys. Baxter’s goal steered the Toreros into the lead and marked her first collegiate career goal. Although USD’s two shots on target matched the Lion’s two in the first half, they were able to keep them at bay, only conceding one corner kick altogether in the half. 

However, the Toreros did give up six fouls in the first half. One in the 40th minute nearly cost them their lead and provided the Lions with their best chance of the half. After forward Jannone Delaney fouled a Lions player right outside the 18-yard box, the ball was crossed into the box and found the head of LMU first year Bella Beltran for a well-placed effort that left Casto scrambling to hold the ball in a sea of Lions players. 

Head Coach Lou Liberman knew that being a goal up at halftime did not mean that the opposing team would stop being contenders in the match.

“After the goal we had to adjust a little bit; it wasn’t a smooth ride. What we talked about was to really sharpen up the execution of our plan,” Liberman said. “The coaching staff and I offered a couple of ideas in places where we were getting stuck and it really helped and moved us forward into the second half.” 

While the intensity LMU brought into the second half looked encouraging for the Lions, the Toreros’ will to maintain their lead persisted. However, the hosts’ early perseverance allowed them to produce two challenging corner kicks within the first two minutes of the second half, and eventually, their best opportunity in the 70th minute. The Lions nearly found their first goal after they received a free kick from behind the halfway mark, and their player poked it into the far corner of the net, shortly before the referee called the Lions’ forward offside. 

Despite the Lions’ surge of set-play opportunities early in the second half that almost cost the Toreros their lead, USD guarded their advantage as they put another one on the board, late in the second half, claiming the final goal of the game. It was in the 80th minute that the Lions were once again overtaken by the Toreros, this time by redshirt sophomore midfielder Jamie Goralski, who held onto a short pass outside the 18-yard box and then dribbled into the box, past two Lion defenders, and into the corner. Goralski lofted a cross in the air to first-year midfielder Aryssa Mahrt who executed a perfectly placed header into the bottom corner of the goal past Humphreys, also securing her first collegiate goal. Goralski and Mahrt skillfully took out LMU’s defense and eliminated their last chance at holding onto the possibility of a tie, or even less likely, a win.

Overall, the Toreros’ defense in the second half allowed for five more shots from the Lions, none of which were on target. In turn, the Toreros created a mere two shots on goal in the last half, barely edging past the Lions in total shots at 12, while the home team acquired 11. 

Following the game, Liberman expressed her elation about the team’s collective effort that shined through during the match. Regardless of the win, the team as a whole was optimistic about how their effort contributed to a larger purpose. 

“A big lesson was that the girls didn’t just want to kick the soccer ball. They want to be a part of something meaningful, and in order to do that everyone has to step into their very best,” Liberman said. “I think over this last week and before this game, it was a culmination of these types of conversations, and we were able to walk away from today feeling that we all exuded this and tried to be our best.”

Each team yielded their fair share of chances, but in the end, the Toreros got to head back to San Diego with a win to show for in their first conference game, therefore advancing their overall record to 1-2 (1-0 WCC). With a promising open to the season, the Toreros will be back at it again to try and secure another win on Saturday, March 6, at 1 p.m., when they will host Gonzaga.