FULLERTON, Calif. - Abby Lynch scored in the eighth minute, Megan Rucker slotted home an insurance goal and the Lions won their fourth match in a row with a 2-0 victory against Cal State Fullerton on Thursday night at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.
With the victory over the Titans, the Lions have won four matches in a row for the first time since 2015. The Lions made a run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament that season.
Lynch got the scoring started before everybody had found their seats. The Lions won a free kick in the attacking half which led to an
Emma Gustad Myklebust delivery into the box. The Titans thought they had cleared the danger out for a goal kick, but
Kylie Dobbs stayed alive to the ball bouncing out of bounds and played a looping cross into a dangerous area at the back post. The Titans goalkeeper pushed the ball away from immediate danger before it fell to Lynch, who fired into the near post for the opener.
Dobbs was denied later in the half with one of her patented long-range efforts. Olivia Winter forced a turnover in the Titans half and laid off a ball to Dobbs. She let it roll across her body to her favorite left and unleashed a powerful shot that was headed for the keepers' left. The Titan goalkeeper leapt and palmed the shot away with significant effort.
The Lions took that lead into the locker room.
The Titans came into the second half with a strong start and forced
JJ Hoover into a pair of second half saves to preserve the clean sheet.
Callan Harrington gave the Titans backline problems as the half progressed. The Lions became more direct with diagonal over the top balls that let Harrington display her pace. She notched a shot on target after battling an over-the-top ball that bounced off the defender into a spot where she could take it on the half volley. She fired a shot that was saved by the Titan keeper.
Rucker put the match away in the 82nd minute with a stunning dash followed by precise placement into the bottom corner of the goal. Rucker intercepted a pass near midfield and darted past two defenders before using a feint to create some space on her left foot. She fired across the face of goal and fell flat as she watched the ball nestle into the net for her second tally of the season.
The Lions improved to 6-2 on the season as they look to open West Coast Conference play against Pacific on Saturday, September 28th in Stockton, Calif.
