Aug. 30, 2010

Box Score

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - LMU jumped out to a 2-0 first half lead and cruised to its second straight victory, 3-1 at Cal State Bakersfield on Sunday night. The Lions (2-1-0) got goals from sophomore Jordan Nelson, senior Nickey Ha, and freshman Tawni Martino and have now won three straight in the series, scoring a trio of goals in each encounter against the Roadrunners (0-2-1).

Coming off a 2-1 victory over Denver on Friday, the Lions were looking to strike first but it was Bakersfield who had the better early chances, forcing redshirt goalkeeper Brittany Jagger into back-to-back saves in the third minute before Kassi Massey's ninth-minute shot came back off the crossbar.

Once the Lions forayed into the opposing half, they wasted no time in taking it to the Roadrunners, scoring twice in the span of seven minutes to pull ahead. Nelson put the visitors in front in the 17th minute with her first career goal. Taking a pass off a free kick from sophomore Rachel Fell, Nelson's 25-yard strike showed precision to beat CSUB goalie Kym Gause.

In the 24th minute, Ha notched her second goal of the season to double LMU's advantage. CSUB failed to clear in its own penalty box and Ha managed to redirect the ball past Gause.

That insurance goal would prove to be vital as Bakersfield pulled a goal back just 43 seconds later. Massey delivered a free kick that Sam Pena volleyed home to carve LMU's lead in half.

The shot count was fairly even, with the Lions holding a slim margin of 12-11 but LMU's finishing proved to be the more accurate as Martino scored her third goal in the last two games in the 70th minute to put the contest out of reach. Sophomore Kelsey Wilson sent a shot in that was deflected into the path of Martino, who did not miss on the rebound.

LMU's defense held strong for the final 20 minutes as Jagger earned the win with four saves. Gause stopped one shot for the Roadrunners.

The Lions continue their two-game road trip on Friday at Utah before hosting Tennessee-Martin at Sullivan Field on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday's game will be followed by the LMU men taking on Cal State Northridge.