SAN BERNARDINO - The Yotes dug deep to secure a 2-2 draw against the top of the table Cougars at Premier Field on Friday afternoon. The CSUSB women's soccer is now 4-2-3 in conference.
Both the Yotes and the Cougars were eager to claim a 3-point victory today, as both teams aimed to strengthen their positions for a spot in the CCAA tournament. San Marcos is currently defending its position against Cal Poly Humboldt and making a determined effort to surpass Pomona for the top spot in the conference. Meanwhile, the Yotes are striving to secure a spot in the CCAA tournament for the first time since 2016.
The Yotes opened the scoring in just the 9
th minute of play. Despite the Cougars applying significant pressure on the Yotes' defense at the beginning of the game, Nathaly Nosada Lucumi got control of the ball and was fouled just past the halfway line. Centerback
Rosalie Hawkins took charge, launching an absolute rocket towards the Cougar goal. The ball struck the top post and rebounded to the feet of
Yvette Ochoa, who expertly slotted it into the back of the net. This marked
Yvette Ochoa's second goal and
Rosalie Hawkins' second assist of the season.
The Cougars made several attempts to fight back in the first half, taking a total of four shots. Their best opportunity of the half came when Cougars forward Allison Laurens connected with a bouncing ball on a half volley inside the 18-yard box. Peregrina reacted instantly to the shot, diving to her left to make a crucial save.
Thanks to Peregrina's save, the Yotes entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.
After halftime, the Cougars managed to level the score at 1-1. In the 51st minute, they delivered a corner kick that found its way to the back post. Danielle Paulson's header directed the ball into the six-yard box, where it bounced around before Natalie Paulson finally put it into the net.
The game continued to see-saw until the Yotes broke the deadlock in the 76th minute.
Mitzali Macias played a well-placed ball to the top of the box, and Ochoa deftly flicked it forward with her head. The ball fell perfectly over the defender to
Emilee Perez, who took one touch before firing it past the goalkeeper. This goal marked Perez's first of the season and gave the Yotes a 2-1 lead with less than 15-minutes remaining in the match.
The Cougars found an equalizer in the 82nd minute, bringing the score to 2-2, and the game concluded with that scoreline.
