By: Kevin Contreras, Sports Editor
UC Riverside’s women’s soccer played their second to last game for the Big West on Thursday night, Oct. 28. The women faced off against the Cal State University Bakersfield Roadrunners and fought to climb the conference ladder. Unfortunately, after an intense 101 minutes, the Highlanders lost 3-2 to the Roadrunners.
The Highlanders kicked off the game and quickly went on the offensive. They went on to push toward the opponent’s net and held them in their side of the field for the first 25 minutes of the game. CSUB pushed back and took occasional shots on the Riverside net. Unfortunately, in the 28th minute of the game, the Roadrunners found themselves in front of the Highlander net. After a scuffle in front of the net, junior forward Litzy Pimentel kicked the ball high and left, putting them up 1-0. UCR was not discouraged and quickly went back on the offensive. Shortly after, UCR was awarded a corner kick. Junior forward Natza Marin took a shot and missed. The ball was found by freshman midfielder Lindsey Turner who passed the ball towards sophomore midfielder Alyssa Carranza. She took a shot towards the lower left side of the goal, tying the game 1-1. The game continued, as both teams seeked to gain a leg up on their competition. Unfortunately, the Roadrunners found themselves with another chance to score, Pimentel earned her second goal of the game, putting CSUB up 2-1 in the 41st minute, right before the end of the first half.
Going into the second half, the Highlanders were eager to tie the game back up again. UCR continued their offensive vigor, as they attacked towards the opposing net, finding a goal within the first five minutes of the second half. Carranza had the ball again and found an opening from beyond the penalty box, taking a low shot landing in the right side of the net. This tied the game once again, leaving the Highlanders 2-2 in the 51st minute of the game. The Highlanders managed to stay in the game and kept advancing in search of the game winning goal. Unfortunately in the 90th minute, both teams were still tied, forcing them to go into overtime.
Going into overtime, the Highlanders were looking for their decisive golden goal. The first 10 minutes of the game were evenly matched with both teams being unable to score and find the back of the net. Going into the second half, CSUB found an early goal, putting an end to the game. Once again, Pimentel found herself in front of the net with an opportunity to score, giving the Roadrunners their golden goal.
The Highlanders took a total of 16 shots throughout the game, four more than CSUB. Half of those shots were on goal. UCR was also awarded a total of six corner kicks. With this loss, UCR is in second to last place, still remaining above CSUB in the Big West Conference. The Highlanders return to the pitch on Oct. 31 for their final conference showdown. The Highlanders play under the Riverside soccer field lights for their last season game as they prepare for the upcoming post-season tournament.
