Oct. 17, 2010

Box Score

SPOKANE, Wash. - LMU's four-match winning streak against Gonzaga was snapped on Sunday as the Bulldogs registered their first victory over the Lions since 2004, 2-1 in a West Coast Conference match in Spokane, Wash. Sophomore Jordan Nelson's goal five minutes from time gave the Lions (8-5-1, 0-2-1 WCC) some life but two earlier goals by the Bulldogs (7-8-1, 2-1-0 WCC) was enough to hold off the Lions.

LMU entered the match having won four in a row against the Bulldogs and undefeated in the last five meetings. Each of those match-ups had been close, however, with a single-goal margin separating the two sides. The same would be true in this meeting, although for the first time since 2004, the Bulldogs would come out on top.

A brisk 40 degree afternoon in Spokane played to Gonzaga's advantage and the hosts took the lead 20 minutes in on Elle Sweeney's first goal of the year. Sarah Rhodes swung in a corner and Sweeney met it in the area for a 1-0 lead.

LMU had a pair of chances around the half-hour mark to pull level but was off-target on each. In the 28th minute, Nelson rose up to connect on a corner by junior Brittney Sanford, only for her header to barely clear the crossbar. Five minutes later, freshman Tawni Martino got loose in the penalty area, sidestepping her defender before firing wide.

As the game entered the second half, LMU looked to push forward. Junior Erin Rementer brought a diving save out of GU goalie Lauren Ames in the 62nd minute, which would prove crucial as Gonzaga doubled its lead in the 67th minute. Sheridan Jones sent a forward pass to Emily Hutchins inside the penalty area and Hutchins' strike eluded LMU freshman goalie Brittany Jagger.

With time winding down, the Lions threw everything forward and cut the deficit in half five minutes from time. Sanford provided her fourth assist of the season when she delivered a cross to Nelson, who knocked it in near the goalline for her second goal of 2010.

The momentum back in their favor, the Lions had two final chances to grab the equalizer. In the 88th minute, LMU won a free kick and sophomore Rachel Fell took aim, only for her shot to be charged down by a Gonzaga defender. The ricochet fell to Rementer on the right side of the penalty area but again her shot was blocked by a defender and the Bulldogs were able to run out the clock.

Jagger registered three saves for the Lions, who are 0-2-1 in conference play for the first time since 2005. Ames made a pair of saves for the Bulldogs, who held a 16-11 shot advantage for their second straight win.

LMU returns to Sullivan Field for a pair of matches next week, hosting Saint Mary's on Friday at 3 p.m. and San Francisco on Sunday at 1 p.m.