(Redding, CA) The Park University Gilbert (1-3-0) women’s soccer team lost 2-1 to the Simpson University Red Hawks (2-2-0) Friday afternoon at Buxton Stadium in Redding, dropping both of the back-to-back matches on their NorCal road trip this week.
The fourth and final non-conference match of the regular season ended in a close loss for the Buccaneers, as they tried to rally back from an early 1-0 deficit.
Simpson didn’t take long to get on the scoreboard, as forward Claire Brown netted the opening goal of the afternoon in just the first minute of play. Park-Gilbert’s defense faced four more shots in the first half, with junior goalkeeper Morgan Trail saving the other two shots on goal. Early on, the Bucs couldn’t get much going on offense as they didn’t get a shot on goal through 45 minutes of play.
In the second half, Park-Gilbert’s offense started to ramp up with two shots on goal. In the 78th minute, the Bucs tied the match up 1-1 with an electrifying header from defender Bekah Sipinga assisted from forward Hallie Benson
However, the momentum was short-lived as Simpson took the lead back in the 81st minute. Red Hawks winge Litsy Munoz scored the match-sealing goal to go up 2-1 on the Bucs, with forward Chloe Tauge assisting on the play.
Park-Gilbert fought valiantly against both Oregon Tech and Simpson this week, but ultimately it came down to one score in each match. Thursday afternoon against the Owls, a penalty kick in the 26th minute gave Oregon Tech the edge over Park-Gilbert. Friday afternoon against the Red Hawks, Simpson took an early advantage over the Bucs scoring in the opening minute of action.
The Buccaneers now shift their focus to the rest of the Great Southwest Athletic Conference, as the remainder of their schedule pins them with conference opponents.
The Park University Gilbert women’s soccer team returns to play Tuesday Sept. 17 at 6:00 p.m. MST, in their GSAC opener against #22 OUAZ at Spirit Field in Surprise, AZ.
Press Release courtesy of Park University Athletics – Garrett Campbell
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