Box Score
TURLOCK – Cal State L.A.’s women’s soccer team made a first-half goal from
Liz Franco stand up in an opening-round game of the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championship Tournament.
Franco’s 10th goal of the season in the 29th minute was the only scoring in the Golden Eagles’ 1-0 win over Chico State Friday in Cal State Stanislaus’ Warrior Stadium. Cal State L.A., the No. 1 seed, will play No. 2 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills for the conference championship on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.
Cal State L.A. (16-2-2) stretched its unbeaten streak to 11 with its second win of the season over Chico State. The Golden Eagles are 9-0-2 in that span.
The Wildcats (8-5-8), the CCAA North Division champions, were the No. 4 seed.
The Golden Eagles, ranked ninth in the country, had a 23-6 advantage in shots, but only five of them were on goal. Franco, who was named the CCAA Most Valuable Offensive Player of the Year, had a match-high eight shots, including the lone goal of the game and another bid with about four minutes remaining that hit the crossbar and bounced straight down and out of the goal.
Cal State L.A. had a 10-2 edge in shots in the first half and a 13-4 advantage in the second half. Natalie Bensky made three saves in goal for the Wildcats, while
Jessie Walworth made one save for the Golden Eagles. Cal State L.A. recorded its third shutout in a row and its 11
th of the season.
After Chico State got a shot from Michelle Grek that sailed wide just 17 seconds into the match, the Golden Eagles began pressuring the Wildcats. Finally, on the seventh attempt, Franco broke the scoreless tie. After a cross bounced off a Chico State defender, Franco pounced on it and hammered it home for the only goal of the game.
Franco, the leading scorer in the conference, now has 36 points (10 goals, 16 assists) on the season.
Walworth made her lone save of the contest in the 40th minute when she snared a header shot by Chico State’s Lisa Webster.
Each team needed saves from its defense to keep the game at 1-0. Cal State L.A.’s
Stacey Rodwell had a strong bid in the 69
th minute that seemed headed toward the goal, but a Chico State defender swept it away.
Chico State’s Denni Jo Berger had a shot after a corner kick that also was headed toward the net, but a Golden Eagle defender kept it out.
Franco had two shots saved by Bensky in the final eight minutes of the game and another from point-blank range that hit the crossbar and went straight down without crossing the goal-line with four minutes to go.
Chico State’s final bid came on a header by Kasey Wall with less than two minutes to go that went wide. Cal State L.A. did not allow another attempt the rest of the way.
Cal State L.A. is making its second appearance in the CCAA Championship Game in the past three years. Chico State emerged with the conference title in 2007 after the Golden Eagles and Wildcats battled to a 0-0 tie in the final game. The Wildcats claimed the conference title on penalty kicks. Ironically, the two teams met in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Division II playoffs and once again battled to a 0-0 tie. That time, though, the Golden Eagles prevailed on penalty kicks.
Franco made sure that penalty kicks weren’t needed on Friday.
Cal State L.A., the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Region heading into the final weekend of play, is seeking its first conference title.