April 21, 2001
BERKELEY, Calif. -
California took control of its final regular season game early en route to a resounding 13-4 Western Women's Lacrosse League victory over UC Davis Saturday afternoon inside Memorial Stadium. With the win, the Bears capture second place in the WWLL and earn a No. 2 seeding in next week's Northern Division playoff game against No. 3 UC Davis. Freshman attacker Emily Edwards and senior midfielder Sarah Wheatley scored three goals apiece to lead the Bears over the Aggies.
"We played with a sense of urgency today that we didn't have the first time we played Davis," said California head coach Jill Malko. "We knew we had to play our game and not let them squeak by."
A pair of goals by freshman midfielder Julianne Wu and Wheatley gave California (10-5 overall, 3-3 in the WWLL) an early 2-0 lead just 4:37 into the game. UC Davis (6-5 overall, 2-4 in the WWLL) could not seem to get off defense in the first half as the Bears offense worked the field to control both possession and tempo from the start. Edwards scored all three of her goals in the half. Cal finished off the first stanza with five unanswered goals over the final 11:03, handing the Bears a 9-2 advantage at halftime.
"You're always thrilled when you're team doesn't have a lot of turnovers," said Malko. "A key for us today was our possession of the ball. This game was clean, crisp and precise. We certainly wanted to play this game at a fast pace and we were able to establish that tempo in the first half."
Cal took a much more laid back approach in the second half, working the midfield and defensive end effectively to limit the Aggies opportunities. Sophomore goalkeeper Eden Coelho came up big for the Bears during the final 30 minutes of play, finishing the game with 11 saves. Freshman midfielder Kelley Queisser scored twice for the Bears, once in each half, to record her first goals as a Golden Bear.
"Eden saved everything for us," said Malko. "She looked good because the defense made her look good. We needed to put it together today. We thought about our seniors and what they have done for us for motivation. It was great to see Kelley Queisser breakout this afternoon. She's been right there all season."
California travels to Moraga next Saturday, April 28, for the WWLL Northern Division playoffs at St. Mary's College. The No. 2 Bears will take on No. 3 UC Davis in the second game. No. 1 Stanford will face No. 4 St. Mary's in the playoff opener. California hosts the WWLL Championships on May 5-6.
GOALS: Cal - Edwards 3, Wheatley 3, LeMoult 2, Queisser 2, Kado 1, Must 1, Wu 1, UC Davis - Kado 1, Albin 1, Fitzpatrick 1, Roberts 1. ASSISTS: Cal - Wu 2, O'Mara 1, UC Davis - Buser 2. SAVES: Cal - Coelho 11, UC Davis - Herschleb 9. SHOTS: Cal 24, UC Davis 20.
