Cal Poly Pomona Athletics

Hannah Leu provided a tremendous assist Thursday on the Broncos' second goal in the team's 3-0 win over Holy Names.

Broncos Cruise Past Hawks in Season Opener, 3-0

9/4/2014 10:06:00 PM

Box Score | POMONA, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona women's soccer team cruised to a 3-0 victory in the season opener Thursday, using two second-half goals to put the game out of reach in topping Holy Names.

The Broncos improve to 1-0-0 and up next they'll travel to play Dixie State on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m. Pacific Time.

Stacey Atwater, a junior transfer from College of the Canyons, recorded the first goal of 2014 for CPP when she capitalized on a pair of nice passes from seniors Indra Arteaga and Arika Ontiveros. Once inside the box, Atwater lined a shot past the Hawks' goalkeeper to put the score at 1-0.

The Broncos outshot HNU by a 16-0 tally in the first half but managed just the 1-0 advantage heading into halftime. The defense played well and goalkeeper Ricki Ives only needed to make one save en route to a shutout in her first start as a Bronco.

The CPP offense started to find more results in the second half though and it took a pair of veterans to build up the offensive momentum. Off of a free kick, Hannah Leu placed a lofted ball in the box for Alison Sauve to connect for a header goal on the left side of the box.

That score gave the Broncos some more breathing room and the host squad tacked on one more goal in the 85th minute. Freshman Maria Navarro found some open space toward the top of the box and ripped a shot into the back of the net. She received some help from Stephanie Rodriguez and Amanda Gomez, both of whom tallied assists on the play.

CPP head coach Mike Dibbini coached against one of his former players and assistant coaches in Gabe Romo, a first-year head coach for HNU. Thursday's game marked the first of six home games in September for the Broncos.