Stanislaus State men, women fall in CCAA soccer finals

The Cal State Stanislaus women’s soccer team scored two goals in the final five minutes but fell short in a 3-2 loss to UC San Diego in the California Collegiate Athletic Association women’s soccer championship match Sunday at Cal Poly Pomona’s Kellogg Field.

The Warriors (12-6-3), ranked eighth in the NCAA West Region poll, will have to wait for the announcement by the NCAA to see if their season will continue. The tournament selection show is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Monday with the top six ranked teams receiving an invitation to play in the NCAA championships.

UC San Diego went up 1-0 in the 18th minute on a Mary Reilly goal and then made it 2-0 in the 25th minute when Jordyn McNutt converted a penalty kick. The Warriors’ Nichole Donald was charged with the foul and drew a red card, putting Stanislaus a player down for the rest of the match.

UC San Diego (15-5-1) took a 3-0 lead eight minutes into the second half on an own goal, but Stanislaus got late goals by Nicole Larson and Kirsten Coleman to give the Warriors a chance.

“I am proud with the heart that was displayed out there and scoring two goals in the final five minutes down a player,” Warriors coach Gabriel Bolton said. “I am proud of our efforts, and I am proud of our performances today.”

Despite being outnumbered much of the second half, Stanislaus outshot the Tritons 8-5 with most of those coming in the final minutes.

Larson collected a rebound from a bicycle-shot attempt by Gabriela Vargas and booted it in for the goal to avoid the shutout. Less than a minute later, a Vargas pass from the back found Jordan Moineau at midfield, and Moineau found a streaking Coleman for the breakaway score to make it a one-goal margin.

“After the first goal, it was just what we needed,” Larson said. “It just changed our mindset. No matter how much time there was left, it just came down to us pushing through and working our hardest in the amount of time it was given to us.”

Chelsea Lewandowski, Larson, Moineau and Maryssa McDuffy were named to the all-tournament team. Lewandowski had 10 saves in Friday’s semifinal win over Chico State.

In the men’s title match, Cal Poly Pomona defeated Stanislaus State 2-0.

This story was originally published November 8, 2015 at 7:18 PM with the headline "Stanislaus State men, women fall in CCAA soccer finals."