SAN DIEGO - Cal Poly Pomona hung tough with a West Region stalwart but ultimately succumbed to Point Loma Nazarene University through a late penalty-kick goal, 1-0, in non-conference women's soccer action at PLNU Soccer Field on Thursday afternoon.

With the result, CPP drops to 1-1-1 and Point Loma improves to 1-0-1. The Sea Lions were picked third in the Pacific West Conference (PacWest) preseason poll, while the Broncos are favored for fourth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Point Loma, which has qualified for each of the last four editions of the NCAA Division II Championship, is currently receiving votes just outside of the top 25 in the United Soccer Coaches national poll.

Starting in the CPP net for the third consecutive match, junior Azusa Pacific transfer Bella Hara made six saves to equal her season and career high from the previous contest, a 2-0 road shutout at her prior team APU last Saturday night. Thursday also marked her return home as a San Diego native out of Mt. Carmel High School.

Hara made three stops in each half, including a couple of the more difficult variety. Twice she rose high to tip stellar direct free kicks from Emma Thrapp over the crossbar, in the 28th and 68th minutes, and later in the 72nd, produced a diving effort to her left to deny Zoe Crockett.

"Bella's been fantastic," offered eighth-year Cal Poly Pomona head coach Jay Mason. "She's worked really hard on being able to help us in possession. She has that ability to come up with big saves. When we need it, she bails the team out in some of those bigger moments, which gives us an added opportunity to win a game."

In a bit of a cruel, undeserved twist for the visitors, the decisive goal finally came at the 86:46 mark as a crossing attempt from the right corner of the 18-yard box near the endline by Point Loma's Alyssa Ketcham, glanced off of CPP sophomore defender Liberty Ortiz's hand.

The match referee immediately pointed to the penalty spot, and Thrapp stepped up to bury her right-footed kick into the left side. The goal was the fourth-year junior defender's first of the season and eighth as a collegian. The Temecula product is a perfect five-for-five in regulation penalty-kick opportunities as a Sea Lion.

"Point Loma is one of the best teams in the country for a season," summed up Mason. "We knew it was going to be a tall task for us to come down (and get a result). I thought first half, we frustrated them enough, and were able to counter and create some opportunities.

"In the second half, they pushed a bit more, changed a little bit of their shape and pushed in their attacking (midfielders). It stretched us in a good way. At the end, those things happen in games, and sometimes they go your way and sometimes they don't. Point Loma earned the pressure there to create that (penalty kick).

"We didn't do a good enough job with the ball today. Our service wasn't great, so we need to go back, fix that tomorrow (in practice), and hopefully put together a win on Saturday."

True sophomore Julia Pinnell had three stops for the host Sea Lions to notch her first clean sheet of 2023 and eighth of her college career.

Point Loma held a 12-8 shot advantage, including 9-4 after the interval. Newcomer Auburn Burnett paced the Broncos with two off the bench. Junior defender Bella Anderson played the full 90 minutes for CPP, in addition to Hara and Ortiz.

Cal Poly Pomona is back at home inside Kellogg Stadium this Saturday night, Sept. 9, with a primetime kickoff set for 7 p.m. against another PacWest foe in Fresno Pacific (0-3). The Sunbirds were eighth in that preseason poll, and lost 3-0 Thursday at Cal State San Marcos.

Bronco Bits: Cal Poly Pomona is 50-43-19 overall under eighth-year head coach Jay Mason, his milestone 50th victory in charge of the Broncos having come in their previous match at Azusa Pacific last Saturday night, 2-0 ... CPP is an even 6-6 against Point Loma, now with three successive losses in the series, including a narrow 1-0 decision in Pomona last season on Sept. 1, 2022 ... The Broncos had posted a 2-0 victory in their last visit to Point Loma, in the 2019 opener for both sides on Sept. 5, and are now 4-1 there.

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Tickets are on sale now for all CPP home matches. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets online prior to coming to campus at broncoathletics.com/tickets, or by downloading the HomeTown Fan app on your smartphone or tablet. Again this year, only debit and credit cards will be accepted at the box office for admission. Limited concession items will be on sale on-site as well, with the concession stand also only accepting debit and credit cards.

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