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Ron Pulvers' Cal State San Marcos women's soccer team remained undefeated and un-scored upon in its fourth game of the 2011 season on Sunday, delighting the home crowd and Mangrum Field with a 2-0 victory over the University of La Verne.
#15-ranked CSUSM is now 4-0 on the season. La Verne drops to 0-1.
Cal State San Marcos dominated both the statsheet and the possession on the day, out-shooting La Verne 20-1 and holding an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks. The game was played on La Verne's side of the field, though the Cougars did not perhaps create as many legitimate scoring chances as they could have, which could be a concern going forward.
But when the opportunities were there, the Cougars got a couple pretty magical finishes, particularly on the first goal of the day. In the 19th minute, Courtney Kay gathered the ball at midfield and hit a beautifully weighted pass down the right flank, connecting with the run of Arielle Cohen. Cohen continued down the flank deep into La Verne territory, then drove a hard cross across the face of the net. Lauren Johnson, demonstrating the knack for goal-scoring that's propelled her to the top of the program's all-time scoring list, connected with the cross in the air and roofed what was not an easy finish by any means.
CSUSM effectively put the game away early in the second half with another nifty goal. All-American keeper Kaycee Gunion, who earned her fourth shutout in as many games this year despite not being called on to make a save, noticed La Verne's defense creeping towards midfield, and punted the ball over the top of everyone. Forward Shelby Bush ran under it and found herself one-on-one with the keeper from about 30 yards out. With a lot of time to over-think her shot, Bush provided a composed finish, sliding the ball under the keeper and into the corner of the net to make it 2-0.
That's how the game would end, with the Cougar back line and midfield completely containing the opposition as they have in all four matches this season; though it's worth noting that La Verne's lone shot of the game came within inches of finding the top of the net.
CSUSM will be back in action on the road against Point Loma on Thursday, then at home next Sunday to take on the University of Texas-Brownsville.
