Bulldogs struggle to find WCC wins

The Gonzaga women's soccer team has not had the fairy-tale start they wished for during conference play. The Bulldogs have struggled to find their game the last two weeks and their record has dropped to 7-6-2 (0-2-2 in WCC action).

After putting in a great effort and bringing two points back to Spokane in their thrilling back-to-back double overtime matches against LMU and Saint Mary´s, the Zags fell twice last week at home versus USF and conference newcomer BYU. Two completely different matches that ended up with the same result, a loss.

On Thursday, Oct. 13, the Zags dropped a 1-0 decision against the San Francisco Dons in front of 141 spectators, the lowest home attendance this season. The first half started slow, with few elaborated plays and a large number of interruptions.

The game featured 15 total fouls, including four in the first five minutes. In the first 45 minutes, despite not playing their best, the Zags showed superiority over a Dons squad that lost its starting goalkeeper to injury in the 24th minute. The Bulldogs dominated the shots battle by a clear 6-1 margin. Senior Sarah Rhodes created several dangerous chances to score on set pieces. She nearly scored from a corner kick in the 16th minute. Nine minutes later, she tried to imitate one of Ronaldinho's most famous goals: a free kick under the wall. Unfortunately it was not successful.

The second half was more dynamic. The Bulldogs outshot USF eight-to-four on net. Rhodes produced out of nowhere the best two opportunities. She had two consecutive shots outside of the 18. The first one came in the 65th minute, and it was deflected by the keeper with a spectacular save. Just four minutes later, Rhodes' amazing shot beat the USF goalkeeper, who was slightly advanced, but closed with the crossbar. Then, in the 84th minute, when both teams were expecting to play an overtime, Christina Moberg scored from inside the little box the lone goal of the match for USF, after a defensive error by the Bulldogs. The Dons, who had not offered a strong offensive performance at all, proved that statistics in soccer may not be relevant and eventually got away with the win.

"We beat ourselves with a little bit of help from San Francisco. I think we were the biggest culprit in winning the game," Head Coach  Amy Edwards told GoZags.com after Thursday's loss.

Edwards agreed that there was an issue during the game that changed the outcome of the game.

"I felt we played a little bit more individually instead of as a team, things that got us here. We went away from who we were in the last five games," Edwards said.

On Saturday, the Zags wore pink keeping up with the Breast Cancer Awareness project that the WCC supports. The crowded stands of the Gonzaga Soccer Field witnessed a completely different display by Gonzaga against BYU. Aware of BYU´s multiple attacking weapons, Edwards sacrificed junior forward Emily Hutchins and introduced versatile freshman Kasey Rubosky in the starting lineup. Until halftime, the visitors overwhelmed the Bulldogs, who pulled a great effort to remain tied. The highlight was a save by GU goalkeeper Susan Brown in the 35th minute.

The second half was a continuous bombardment on the two areas. The teams combined for 23 shots in the period. In the 48th minute, Rubosky gave the lead to the Zags assisted by Rhodes, who increased her all-time assist record. However, the Cougars bounced back and scored three consecutive goals before the 81st minute. A late goal by freshman defender Cricket Harber after a scramble in the box was not enough to beat one of the top teams in the WCC. Edwards said she was especially satisfied with the performance of the underclassmen.

"I was personally happy with our young players today," Edwards said after the game. "It says a lot about our program going forward. Kasey Rubosky, Ali Ohashi, Katey Pennington, Cricket Harber: Those players had the mentality and character to fight through the whole game."

Rubosky offers talent to the offensive line and good ball touch, Ohashi provides perfect placement and smart decisions at midfield, the fast Pennington is able to race past anybody who tries to come in through her wing and Harber is the leader of the defense, an unassailable wall. All of them play like real veterans of the game.

The Bulldogs sit eighth in the conference and resume their schedule on Friday, Oct. 21, against No. 8  Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif. Pepperdine's Waves are also at the top of WCC standings.