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NCAA women Portland needs own goal to get past Loyola Marymount 1-0.LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sunday, October 26, 2003) -- No. 4 Portland won for the 12th straight outing, but the defending NCAA Division 1 champion prevailed over Loyola Marymount 1-0 in a West Coast Conference match this afternoon only on the strength of a late own goal before 525 at Sullivan Field. Next up for Portland is a visit to No. 12 Santa Clara and a rematch of the 2002 national final, as well as a WCC meeting. Portland (16-2, 5-0 in conference) did not concede a shot in the first half, outshooting LMU (7-7-3, 0-5) by a 5-0 margin, 14-8 over 90 minutes. Each team put five shots on frame. "It was a very frustrating game for us," Pilots coach Garrett Smith said. "They packed it in on defense throughout, especially in the first half. The second half played out better, fortunately, and we were able to get some more opportunities." Portland pressure throughout the second half eventually paid off. Defender Kristen Rogers sent a cross to striker Jennifer Tuttle near the right post. The ball sailed just over Tuttle's head, caromed off a Lions defender and past goalkeeper Corey Yukihiro into the LMU goal for the game's only scoring. Yukihiro made nine saves, several difficult, while Cori Alexander made three stops in the Pilots' net for her 10th shutout of 2003. "It wasn't a pretty goal and it was an ugly game, but we came out ahead," Smith said. "We'll take every ugly win we can get. With our final two conference games coming up, we have our hands full, but we'll be ready for both Santa Clara and San Diego." |
