Women’s soccer takes on LaVerne in tense home game

Women’s soccer won 4-1 against La Verne Sept. 22. Photo by Melissa Zhuang.

With four minutes left in the Chapman women’s soccer game against University of La Verne Sept. 22, freshman defender Cate Combi seized a unique opportunity to score. Shooting from the 40-yard line, Combi shot a distance goal into the back of the net, closing out a 4-1 win for Chapman with her first college goal.

Chapman started the game down after La Verne senior midfielder Mia Trugerro scored on a corner kick in the 21st minute. But, Chapman quickly rushed back on offense, with sophomore forward Emmie Farber shooting a teardrop goal that was punched out of bounds by La Verne junior goalkeeper Hanien Samara.

Chapman stayed on offense for most of the first half, making it on the board in the 41st minute with a goal by Lindsay Erl, senior midfielder, that grazed Samara’s hands.

Scoring in the last few minutes of the half gave Chapman more offensive opportunities, Erl said.

“It’s a great feeling scoring any goal in this kind of environment,” Erl said. “Getting to play on this beautiful field is just the best feeling and tying the game is what it’s all about. One goal leads us to another.”

Immediately following Erl’s goal, Chapman pushed up on offense, with a goal by Farber in the 43rd minute of the game, marking the end of the first half.

Junior forward Bailee Cochran hit a volley shot defended by La Verne in the first six minutes of the second half. The game was tense, with both teams playing aggressively, resulting in four fouls on Chapman and three on La Verne in the second half.

La Verne had a chance to tie the game with four minutes left in the second half and the ball in Chapman’s box, but Chapman junior defender Faith Holloway stole the ball and cleared it before the opposing team could take a shot.

With nine minutes left in the game, Farber shot a corner kick high into the La Verne box. The ball was intercepted by sophomore midfielder Allison Merrill who volleyed it into the goal.

With an assist from Erl, Combi scored a distance goal from the 40-yard line in the 86th minute.

“It was so awesome scoring my first collegiate goal, especially from so far out. I wasn’t really expecting it to go in the goal, but it was really nice and I’m going to keep looking for that shot every game,” she said.

Head coach Courtney Calderon said this win was crucial for the team because of the competitive conference standings.

“Any win in our conference is huge, especially with how tight our conference is,” Calderon said. “But, I think it’s a huge confidence builder at the end of every game. It’s fun to watch them.”

Chapman takes on Claremont McKenna at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at Claremont McKenna.