SALEM, Ore. – The first contest of the Brooke Alteneder era for the Corban University Women's Soccer team began in the sweltering Willamette Valley humid heat and concluded with a shutout for the visiting program, as the NCAA DIII Boxers of Pacific University picked up a 3-0 victory and sent the Warriors to the loss column in their first regular season match of the 2025 fall slate.
"It's always tough to lose in front of a home crowd, but this gave us a great starting point for the season," Coach Alteneder shared shortly after the conclusion of her first collegiate counting contest as a head coach. "We felt the first game jitters today, but we are ready to learn from this and move forward. Many of our players just played in their first collegiate game, and to come out and compete at that level even if it didn't go our way is something to commend. Mixed in with the hot and tired legs, there were a lot of great opportunities that we are excited to capitalize on moving forward. On to the next."
With nearly 100-degree heat beating down on the necks of the Navy and Gold (0-1) and visiting fans/families who had stepped aside from Warrior Welcome to partake in the only home contest during move-in week for the University, the visiting Boxers scored just 7:47 into the opening half and never looked back in a 3-0 shutout of the Warriors. Midfielder Rissalyn Hara opened the scoring on a rebound opportunity in front of the net, while forwards Mirella Garcia and Lilian Fiorda padded the lead with goals in the second half.
Despite being outscored 3-0, the Warriors rebounded from a quiet first half to finish just one shot and two shots on goal fewer than the Boxers but unfortunately were never able to break through Pacific's defensive presence.
Junior goalkeeper Ava Hayes played the complete 90 minutes between the posts for the Navy and Gold, allowing all three Pacific goals and securing four saves along the way. The Boxers saw three different keepers earn playing time today, with starter Kylie Pascual picking up the win, all five saves, and started the combined clean sheet.
Sophomore forward Maya Alston led all players with three shots, two coming on goal to represent nearly half of her team's total shots on goal. Hara and Garcia tallied three shots apiece for Pacific, with all three of Hara's shots either resulting in goals or saves by Hayes.
Next Tuesday, the Warriors will be back at the Outdoor Athletic Complex for a 5pm kick off against NCAA DIII Lewis & Clark College (0-0) in what will represent their final home contest of August.
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