Lancers Win OT Thriller Against Tigers

California Baptist University's women's soccer team extended its win streak to four in a row recently, as the Lancers edged the Tigers of Pacific in a 1-0 overtime thriller. The Lancers will head into conference play with a 7-2-1 overall record, as they end their non-conference schedule with four straight wins. The win streak of four in a row breaks last year's record of three - which happened twice during the season. The Tigers fall to 3-7-0 on the season and have played their last four games to a one-goal differential. Rebecca Romero got the Lancers started the right way, as the senior placed a header to the top of the box that hit the crossbar in the opening minutes. CBU then rattled off four straight shots in 15 minutes to keep the Tigers' backline in check. Rola Badawiya had one of the closer shots in the first half, as Amy Aquino played her to the right side with a through ball. Badawiya gained control and moved it to her right foot, but the low, forceful shot missed by inches on the left side. Defensively, the Lancers did well to keep the Tigers off the attacking side of the field, forcing the opposition to tighten up their passes. Both teams were unsuccessful when the first horn went off, as the game remained scoreless at the break. The intensity picked up in the second half, as the fouls started to pile up for each side. Pacific was able to manage four corner kicks during the second half, but the Lancers relied on veteran goalie Romy Salvador, who was making her first start of the season since coming off an injury. The defensive effort by the Lancers was on full display, as Erin Gallagher and Brodi Blomdahl made sure CBU's backline kept the Tigers on their toes. After 90 minutes of action and the score still at 0-0, the Lancers looked for some magic going into the first overtime period. The Tigers were able to get a shot off in the first two minutes, but it sailed wide and set up a goal kick. CBU started to make a run with under a minute to play, and once the ball crossed midfield, a foul was called on the Tigers to give the Lancers a free-kick. Valerie Cortez stepped up and crossed a ball inside the box that found Badawiya with a defender on her back. Badawiya did well to keep her position and get to the ball first with a header that sailed to the far right side of the net for the golden goal.   This marked the second straight game Badawiya has scored the game-winner for the Lancers.