Taylor Morrow scored the go-ahead goal late in the first half and the Menlo College women’s soccer team held on to beat host Hope International, 2-1, in a Golden State Athletic Conference match on Thursday.
The Royals scored in the 17th minute to take the advantage but Oaks Danielle McCarthy responded five minutes later to knot things.
Menlo (2-1-1 in GSAC play, 6-2-4 overall) plays at No. 14 Biola on Saturday.
Menlo junior goalkeeper Kaylin Swart nearly made the save on Xochitl Sandoval’s goal, but the ball took a Royals bounce from her hands and into the back of the net.
McCarthy scored after beating the back line and firing a shot past Royals goalie Brianna Banda.
Menlo’s second goal came in the 39th minute, when Morrow was the last one to touch the ball in a scrum just in front of the net. The goal was Morrow’s second on the season.
The second half was a much different story for the Oaks, as they were only able to get one shot over the final 45 minutes, and it wasn’t on target. Conversely, the Royals were able to match their shot total from the first half with 7, and added 3 corner kicks.
Swart was busy in the net, with a pair of saves in the second half and she was constantly under pressure from the Royals. The Menlo defense withstood the rush to hang on.
Men’s soccer
Menlo played a solid first half but was unable to put anything together on offense and host Hope International took advantage with two goals in the second half for a 2-0 GSAC victory on Thursday.
A quick glance at the stats for the game would show a fairly even contest between the two teams. Both teams put five shots on frame, both teams took three corners, and fouls were even at 16 apiece.
Sophomore Ike Arinze had a strong game off the bench, getting three shots off in the contest, while juniors Johnny Ensch and Ryan Onizuka also each added three shots.
The Oaks fall to 7-3-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the GSAC while Hope International improves to 5-6 overall and 1-3 within the conference.
Menlo returns to action on Saturday when they travel to Biola to take on the Eagles in a rematch of a scoreless draw played in Atherton on Sept. 22.