The Golden Eagles could not bounce back after Sonoma State scored a pair of early goals in the first half of the match.
Forward, Alexis Espitia of the Seawolves, dribbled the ball up the middle after receiving a pass from her teammate, and fired a shot towards the far post to score the first goal.
Shortly after, forward Aly Silva attacked the net after a turnover by the birds, scoring another goal for the Seawolves. This made it a 2-0 advantage for Sonoma State early on in the game.
Head Coach Erik Garcia felt the game would have gone a lot differently if his players minimized their mistakes.
“We gave them all the opportunities to score. We literally gave them the ball on those two goals,” he said.
Even though the Golden Eagles were scoreless starting the second half, they still maintained a winning attitude.
Defender, Jazmin Smith scored her first career goal for the black and gold after she got the rebound from her teammate Irma Pinzon and knocked it into the goal.
After she scored, the team looked more alive on the field, ready to catch up. The fans were behind them, cheering them on along the way.
Their attitude and hustle showed just how hungry the Golden Eagles were for more goals after making it a 2-1 contest.
They created some good chances to score again, but could not get the job done. “We can’t live with the what if. We have to continue to improve, continue to grind. They did not out-play us, they just capitalized on our mistakes,” said Garcia.
One of those mistakes led to a late penalty kick goal by midfielder, Julia Pritchard. This would seal a 3-1 victory for Sonoma State.
Goalkeeper Amanda Leal had four saves in the game, but felt it was tough to defend against the Seawolves.
“We just have to stay organized and come out strong. As long as we keep working we should be fine for our next games,” she said.
The Golden Eagles will look to break the losing streak against Cal State San Bernardino.
