LOS ANGELES – The LMU women's soccer team fell in a spirited match with No. 10 Santa Clara 2-0 on Saturday night at Sullivan Field.  

 

The Broncos got two early goals but after the Lions settled in, the match was hotly contested with many chances for the Lions to get back into it. 

 

The best early chance for the Lions came from Ava Mathieson. The Lions played a couple of nicely weighted one-time passes. It all ended with the freshman Matheson latching onto a bouncing ball in a one-on-one situation with the Broncos goalkeeper. She took her chance well as the goalkeeper closed the distance but was stifled as the ball glanced off the final defender for a corner kick. 

 

Jenessa Groves has excelled in her role off the bench demonstrated by her pair of scores on Wednesday. She once again used her skill to create multiple scoring opportunities. The graduate student linked up well with Kylie Dobbs and JJ Hoover similar to a goal they combined for on Wednesday. Also similar to Wednesday, Groves took her chance early after Dobbs nodded the ball on. The early shot went wide left, but showed that the Lions were in this one well into the second half. 

 

With a few minutes left, the Lions were offered a lifeline when the referee reviewed a handball in the penalty box. Groves stepped up to the spot but the Bronco goalkeeper made the save to preserve the shutout.  

 

Hoover allowed the pair of goals but was largely solid the remainder of the evening as the Lions tried desperately to find a way back into the match. She made five stops in total and her season total now stands at 45. She has a very solid 1.22 goals against average heading into the final stretch of the season.  

 

The Lions have a three-game road swing starting Saturday, October 19 against Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. That match will begin at 12:00 p.m. (PT) and will be streamed live on ESPN+.