REDDING, Calif. – Simpson University defeated the visiting Bushnell University women’s soccer team in Thursday morning’s season opener, 3-0, scoring all three goals in the first half.
The Red Hawks (1-0) finished with an 18-6 advantage in shots on the match, scoring two goals before the 15-minute mark. Simpson added one more in the 34
th minute before the Beacons (0-1) held them scoreless the rest of the way.
Head Coach Halle Meadows said, “We couldn’t figure it out in the first half. We ended up letting them put three goals away. In the second half, we got it figured it out defensively. Offensively, we did what we needed to do and kept the ball on our half most of the time.”
Emily Puita recorded two shots for Bushnell, while Abbie Chambers and Niamhie Taylor-Hughes accounted for the Beacons’ two shots on goal. Natalie Romero tallied 12 saves in her Bushnell debut.
“We didn’t have a couple key pieces so we had players step up into roles they hadn’t played before,” said Meadows. “To be able to do that and play hard against a good team in 105-degree weather, we did what we needed to do.
Up next, Bushnell takes on Lewis & Clark on Sept. 2 in Portland.