POMONA, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona women's soccer team didn't waste much time in jumpstarting the offense Friday in a home match against Cal State East Bay.
The Broncos scored four goals in the first 15 minutes of play en route to a 5-0 rout of the Pioneers. The win moves CPP into second place in the South Division of the
California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA).
The Broncos (6-4-2 CCAA) are now fourth in
the point standings with 20. Holding the top three spots are Sonoma State (28), UC San Diego (26) and Cal State Stanislaus (24). The conference tournament will feature the two division winners and the next two teams with the highest point totals.
Junior midfielder
Samantha Stiles scored the final three goals of Friday's match to double her season scoring total. Stiles' three-goal performance is the most by a Bronco in a single game since Mary Carroll totaled four scores in the last game of the 2009 season.
Since CCAA women's soccer began in 1991, there have been two occasions when the Broncos went undefeated through eight-straight games.
The first occurrence came in 2001 when CPP won eight-consecutive contests. The second time was reached Friday with the Broncos' victory over CSUEB. The 2012 CPP squad hasn't lost a match since Sept. 21. The longest undefeated streak in program history came in a span of nine games at the end of the 1990 season, one year before CCAA action started for women's soccer.
On Friday at Kellogg Field, the Broncos dominated the pace of play. CPP outshot the Pioneers, 21-11, and scored its first goal just 91 seconds into the contest.
Megan Kisslan and
Alison Sauve initiated the first scoring play with slick passing up the left side. That led to senior midfielder
Veronica Ramos getting a breakaway chance against CSUEB netminder Jamie Botteon. Ramos waited for Botteon to commit and then dribbled around the keeper for an easy goal.
In the seventh minute of play, two seniors combined to put the Broncos ahead 2-0.
Cindy Paez sent a cross in from the right side and on the receiving end,
Sarah Semenero sent a header from the far post to the back of the net. It marked the first career score for Semenero, who is in her first year of soccer at CPP after playing basketball the past four seasons.
With the Broncos leading 2-0, the match then turned into an offensive clinic for Stiles with the help of her teammates. At the 8:19 mark,
Angela Garcia sent a short pass on the left side before Stiles controlled the ball and knocked a short shot past Botteon.
In the 15th minute,
Kristin Mihara sent a splendid free kick into the box that ended with Stiles heading the ball to the back of the net to put CPP in front 4-0. The Mihara assist marked the first career point for the steady defender.
Stiles' hat trick was completed in the 65th minute, when Stiles stole the ball along the right side and dribbled into the right corner before placing a spectacular shot into the upper left corner of the net.
The Broncos' back line limited the visiting Pioneer squad to just three shots on goal through the 90 minutes. CPP goalkeepers
Sarah Rohman and
Kim Nemeth combined for the team's sixth shutout of 2012 and fifth in the last seven matches. Nemeth, a sophomore from Pomona, recorded her first career save Friday in the 83rd minute.
The Broncos will now shift their focus to Sunday's 2 p.m. match at San Francisco State, which will be CPP's final road match of the regular season.