Atherton, Cali. - ACU Women's Soccer closed out their two-game road trip in northern California with a strong 2-1 win over Menlo. Justyne Underwood and Cami Mercado continued their brilliant seasons, each notching a goal in the first period. Tayler Wonderly used four second-half saves to provide the Firestorm with their third straight win and seventh of 2023.
Score:Â Arizona Christian 2, Menlo College 1
Records:Â Â Arizona Christian 7-2-1 (2-0-0) | Menlo College 1-5-0 (0-2-0)
Location:Â Wunderlich Field - Atherton, CA
STAT TRACKER
Cami Mercado - 1 goal, 5 shots
Justyne Underwood - 1 goal, 1 shot on goal
Felicia Apodaca - 1 assist, 2 shots on goal
Shayla Mobo - 3 shots, 1 on goal
Tayler Wonderly - 7 saves
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Shayla Mobo was presented with a penalty kick chance in just the 5th minute, but was unable to pay it off for the Firestorm in the early going. In her second start at goalie for ACU, Tayler Wonderly was first tested in the 21st minute by Menlo's Haley Dunham. Wonderly passed with flying colors, as Dunham fired off the Oaks' first three shots of the match.
Following a change of possession, Alyssa Mercado sent in the Firestorm's second strike, but the Oaks goalkeeper Giorgia Melcore was up to the task. ACU was on the move again less than three minutes later, and this time they were satisfied. Felicia Apodaca served Justyne Underwood a ball in prime scoring position and she converted. The go-ahead goal in the 33rd minute was Underwood's sixth of the season.
Menlo fought back with two shots, including one on target by Lyla Devereaux, but ACU did not budge. Cami Mercado, soon after her first shot of the contest, discovered open space downfield and classfully sent in the Firestorm's second goal. Mercado upped her goal total to nine and ACU held a 2-0 advantage at the break.
The Oaks made a goalie change, as Madeline Costa stepped in for Melcore. Costa justified the switch, as she repelled four on-target shots in a 12-minute span, two of those coming off the foot of Apodaca. It was not till the 65th minute that Menlo truly threatened, Kawai Acopan's attempt unsuccessful as the Oaks still searched for their first score. They were able to get on the board in the 78th minute, as Kiran Pooni found Dunham for her fourth goal of 2023.Â
ACU's lead cut in half, Wonderly was able to survive three more attacks from Menlo, including a last-gasp header from Liv Brunzell with 20 seconds remaining. A 2-1 victory moves the Firestorm to 6-1 away from home and into second place in the GSAC standings.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH GINA CORMIER
"We are so proud of how our team played today," Coach Cormier said. "Menlo challenged us down the stretch with everything they had and the team held strong. It's that kind of resilience that we have been working to build since summer camp. We hope to continue to grow in that area here as we continue conference play, especially with a great team like Ottawa coming up next week."
