Box Score For the third time in four seasons, Coach Ron Pulvers' Cal State San Marcos women's soccer has won the A.I.I. Conference Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round.

The Cougars defeated tournament hosts Thomas University 1-0 Saturday night in the Conference Championship Game to earn the bid.

It was business as usual for CSUSM, who played the kind of game they're comfortable and experienced with handling.  The Cougars dominated possession and monopolized the match's scoring chances, out-shooting Thomas 25-3.  

The lingering worry as always for the Cougars is converting those changes into goals; but with dangerous and physically overpowering forwards Shelby Bush and Lauren Johnson, a midfield adept at holding the ball and with some pace on the outside, and a back line that routinely smothers opponents' attacks before they get more than a few yards past the center line, CSUSM poses serious problems for any team that can't threaten their defense enough to force them to retreat a bit and surrender some possession.  If allowed to provide consistent pressure, the Cougars are usually able to scratch out a goal at some point during the 90 minutes.

That's what happened in Saturday's Conference Championship game, as Kaleigh Dodson provided the match's lone goal, finding an Arielle Cohen throw-in in the box and volleying it past the keeper in the 28th minute to put the Cougars on top once and for all.

All-American keeper Kaycee Gunion and the stout Cougar back line did not allow a goal in either of its A.I.I. Tournament games.

Now a program-best 15-3-1 on the year, the Cougars will wait to hear who their National Championship Opening Round opponent will be.