The Stan State women’s soccer team looked to extend their winning streak to five games on Wednesday night against the Sonoma State Seawolves. This game was previously rescheduled, as the Warriors were originally slated to visit the Seawolves on October 20. Ultimately, it was delayed ten days and moved to Warrior Stadium. 

Warriors’ Starting XI: Natalia Ochoa, Alexi Ochoa, Aliah Avila, Shauna Johnston, Katie Smith, Makeila Yancey, Haylee Heffner, Jocelin Roa, Kaley Miller, Kellyann Rodriguez, Reyna Dismukes
Sonoma Starting XI: Arianna Beddoes, Luna Chavez, Mia Solario-Smith, Emily Morandi, Marivic Lek-Miro, Maya Courtenay, Hailey Freeman, Renee Ketner, Julia Betti, Maya Gutierrez-Zamudio, Kayleigh Acree

The Warriors started with an attack right out of the gate, applying pressure to the Seawolves’ backline immediately. Kaley Miller’s shot would end up going over the crossbar and after a couple of minutes, Sonoma was able to clear the ball out of their defensive third. Sonoma launched an attack of their own in the fourth minute, Maya Courtenay got their first shot of the night which had the same result.

Aliah Avila, who opened the scoring in Stan State’s last outing, looked to do the same tonight but her shot went wide right. It wouldn’t take long for Stan State to get on the board though, as Kellyann Rodriguez would score in the sixth minute, making it 1-0.

Sonoma looked for an equalizer just over a minute later, but the volley attempt was kicked over the crossbar and out of play. The Seawolves got their equalizer in the 15th minute, with the goal being scored by Hailey Freeman.

In the 18th minute, the Warriors restored their lead. Jocelin Roa scored off a pass from Miller which left Roa in a perfect position and nothing but a wide-open goal in front of her. 

Similar to the game against Cal Poly Pomona, the game started getting physical in the latter stages of the first half. In the 39th minute, the ball appeared to get past Arianna Beddoes into the goal, but it was ruled that it didn’t cross the goal line. The score remained 2-1 and Sonoma was awarded a goal kick. 

The Warriors took their lead into the half. 

Less than thirty seconds into the second half, Stan State got their first booking of the night. It was a yellow card, shown to Makeila Yancey as the result of a challenge on the ball carrier. 

On the ensuing free-kick, Sonoma forced Ochoa to make a save, tipping the ball over the crossbar. Miller got her second assist of the night when she found Aliah Avila in front of the goal who was able to tap it past the goalkeeper, making it 3-1 in favor of the home side. 

After Stan State’s third goal, Sonoma had a couple of attacks of their own but were unable to get their shots on target. In the 64th minute though, they got one back. Takoah Castillo was able to beat Ochoa bringing her team within a single goal.

The Seawolves’ attack didn’t slow down from there. They kept bringing pressure on Stan State’s backline and momentum appeared to have swung in Sonoma’s favor after the goal. The Warriors’ defense was doing a great job at preventing their opposition from getting quality chances, even though they were getting a decent number of shots off.

Natalia Ochoa was forced to make a few saves in the second half, but the majority of Sonoma’s shots were off-target.

A goal-line clearance in the 81st minute saved the Warriors’ lead, as the ball was past Ochoa and was making it’s way slowly toward the goal. A Warriors defender, who was in perfect position, cleared it out of the box keeping it 3-2. With just 25 seconds remaining in the game, Sonoma had their final scoring chance went went just wide of the goal.

Related: Stan State Warriors Upset #4 Cal Poly Pomona, 2-0

The Warriors extended their winning streak to five games, and now they face a chaotic schedule to end their season. Their four final games of the season are spanned over eight days. As a result, they’re going to have to rest players in crucial moments during their playoff push. They’ll be heading on the road for the next two games, with the first stop being against Cal State San Marcos on Friday.