The Cal State Stanislaus women's soccer team did just about everything right, offensively and defensively Friday night — except getting a shot past the Monterey Bay goalkeeper.
For a split moment, the Warriors were caught off-guard as Cal State Monterey Bay converted on a score in the 52d minute to pull out a surprising 1-0 win over Cal State Stanislaus in front of 1,377 fans at Warrior Stadium.
The Warriors out-played the Otters in all aspects of the match and out-shot the Otters 17-5, including an 8-0 first-half advantage. There were also at least 10 other opportunities that didn't turn out to be shots for the home team.
However, Monterey Bay goalkeeper Kendra Gillio picked up seven saves to keep the Warriors, ranked No. 5 in this week's first NCAA West Region poll, off the scoreboard.
Cal State Stanislaus falls to 7-4-4 overall and 6-4-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Warriors had a chance to close the gap in the CCAA North standings with Sonoma State tying Cal State San Bernardino. Instead, the Warriors now stand at third place at 21 points, five behind Sonoma State. Chico State, which beat Cal State East Bay on Friday, has 23 points.
Cal State Monterey Bay improved to 3-11 and 2-11 in the CCAA. The Otters snapped a nine-match losing streak during which time they were outscored 24-0. Marlina Massagli scored the team's first goal since Sept. 16 when the Otters beat Humboldt State, 1-0, in Arcata.
Massagli's score came at 51:05 after receiving a long pass as she slipped it past CSUS goalkeeper Millie Brown.
The Warriors attacked was furious in the second half with a lot of traffic in the box in front of Gillio, but was never able to find the back of the net.
Cal State Stanislaus will host its final regular season home match on Sunday against Cal State East Bay. It will be senior day when the Warriors recognize Liz Scherrer and Marissa Dunaway.