Women’s soccer lost a close 1-0 match to the Cal State Fullerton Titans in their home opener Aug. 21. Titans senior midfielder Isabella Cruz scored the lone, unassisted goal with under 18 minutes remaining.
Both teams thwarted shot attempts and pressure from within the box early on in the match. Despite a 0-0 score at halftime, Portland was relatively in charge with a 58% possession and five shots compared to only two from Cal State.
The Pilots were also given many chances from Cal State penalties, who matched Portland’s foul total with seven in the second half alone. Cal State ended with 13 fouls.
While there were opportunities to score, the Pilots were unable to capitalize. Head Coach Michelle French intends to reduce the inconsistencies that affected this game and others.
Portland’s inaugural game of the season ended in a 0-0 draw against the University of Oregon Ducks, another high-shooting match for the Pilots where nothing seemed to fall.
“We showed a little bit of inconsistency in terms of the ability to connect passes, ability to have good quality crosses in the final third – all those areas we have to continue to hone in on and work on,” French said. “Similar to Oregon, not for lack of getting into the final third, it's just the end product that's failing us these last couple of games.”
Portland fought until the end, with several offensive pushes that fell just short. Senior forward Hailey Still, who led the Pilots with three shots, came close to tying the game with under seven minutes left, but the ball was narrowly too high.
Senior forward Hailey Still kneels on the field after an intense play.
Though the squad is winless, French understands there is still plenty of development and discovery left to accomplish past this early stage in the season.
“It's a brand new team, so whatever happened last season is in the books,” French said. “We’ve got to figure out what this group is going to continue to do well and the things that we've got to improve on.”
The Pilots look to establish themselves in the win column with their next home match Aug. 24 against Long Beach State.
Kaeden Souki is the sports editor for The Beacon. He can be reached at souki28@up.edu.
