If you’ve been keeping up with Runners women’s soccer this week, there are a few names you’ve probably been shouting at the Main Soccer Field, but the most popular in these last two games has most likely been Kim Garcia. The senior has scored 2 goals in her last 2 games and has helped our Runners find a spot at 3rd in the Big West Conference standings with 2 games left to play.
On Oct. 17 CSUB’s women’s soccer played a match up against UCSB, the game started slowing with both teams sharing possession through most of the first half. Junior goalkeeper Kamy Anaya was having a solid performance in front of the net, as well as the midfield trio of Catalina Roggerone, Sara Ybarra, and Miah Thomas all showing class with their play and ability to control the tempo of the game when awarded possession.
The highlight of the half came in the 40th minute, when UCSB caught our defense off guard with a volley that smacked the top of our crossbar and went out of bounds. The half went on to end 0-0. The second half picked up a lot faster than the first, with UCSB taking advantage of a foul in the box and burying the penalty kick awarded afterwards.
The Runners continued hammer down offensively for the next 30 minutes, until they found the net thanks to a header from Kim Garcia in the 78th minute. This gave Paige Rodriguez her fourth assist of the season, and with this score started a relentless attack and hunt for another goal, but the two teams walked away with 1 point and a 1-1 tie.
Later that week on Oct. 20, there was heat found with women’s soccer team back at the Main Soccer Field facing against Cal Poly, the second opponent in their two-game home stretch. This game started off with more shots for both teams than on Thursday night’s match up.
With 5 minutes left in the half, Nat O’Sullivan created the closest chance of the match thus far, chasing down a free ball and lacing a right footed shot across goal, hitting the left post and being cleared by a Mustang defender. The Runners closed out the half with a lot of momentum, and when they came out to play in the second half, the same fire they had in the first doubled and helped them close out what would be a strong shutout.
Kim Garcia made her presence known once more in the 48th minute, using her head to net her 2nd goal in just as many games, off of an assist by Caydence Walters. Runners’ momentum carried on for the rest of the half, as they found the net one more time through Paige Rodriguez.
On the Runner’s 5th corner of the match, Rodriguez whipped in an in-swinging cross that curved enough to hit the inside of the left post and go in to put CSUB up 2-0. The only real work goalkeeper Kamy Anaya had to do came in the 72nd minute, where she saved a Cal Poly header off the line to keep the Runners with their shutout for the night.
The women’s team returns to Main Soccer Field one more time for their last home game in the regular conference season against CSUN on Thursday, October 24 at 7pm.
