Lady Toros Lose NCAA Semifinal

MIAMI — Cal State Dominguez Hills’ women’s soccer team lost, 1-0, on Saturday to Keene State, N.H., in the NCAA Division II Championship semifinals.

It was the “luck of the Irish” that beat the Lady Toros in a windblown match at Barry University in Miami--or rather the Irish National Team.

Keene State’s Philo Robinson headed in a free kick from Denise Lyons in the 74th minute to account for the game’s lone score. Both Robinson and Lyons were members of the Irish team.

“We played well,” said Dominguez Hills head Coach Marine Cano. “It was the difference between scoring a goal and not scoring a goal, and we had our chances.”

Keene State Coach Bert Poirier came in expecting to face a more talented Dominguez Hills team and came away thinking that he had.

“I didn’t expect us to do as well as to beat Dominguez Hills,” said Poirier. “We got a few breaks, and we did the things we had to do.”

Jim Kadlecek, NCAA women’s soccer representative and head coach at the University of Northern Colorado, echoed those feelings.

“Dominguez Hills was the more skilled team, but Keene did the things they had to do to neutralize the Toros’ skill and hide their overall lack of skill,” said Kadlecek. “You have to give them credit for taking advantage of the situation.”

What the Owls had to do was neutralize Dominguez Hills’ superior skill was to put the ball in the air on a very windy Florida day, keeping it away from the talented feet of the Lady Toros.

With that accomplished, the Owls sent the ball downfield every time they had the opportunity, trying to get Robinson and freshman speedster Jen Statler behind the Dominguez Hills defense.

Only superb defensive efforts by junior Donna Robertson and senior Laura Moses and some spectacular goal-tending by Chris Pezzulo kept Keene State off the board in the first half.

“Our defense was stellar,” said Cano. “Even when we were a goal down, I wasn’t worried.”

While the Lady Toros’ defense played well, however, their offense never found its mark Saturday.

“We were rushed at times and we didn’t execute at times, but I still think we dominated the game,” said Cano. “I may be a little prejudiced; I know scoring goals is the name of the game, and we didn’t.”

“We had to take chances,” said Lady Toro forward Kristi White, the school’s all-time leading scorer, who played in her final collegiate game Saturday. “We had some chances, but I don’t think we really tested their goalkeeper.”

Keene State gave White very little room to operate, collapsing on her every time she touched the ball. Nevertheless, White had the Lady Toros’ best scoring opportunity, just missing on a header that would have tied the game with 13 minutes to play.

Dominguez Hills had other opportunities to score late, but couldn’t pull the trigger as the Owl defense found a way to clear the ball each time the Lady Toros got close.

Perhaps more frustrating for the Lady Toros than not scoring was the way the Owls netted their goal. Lyons lofted a free kick that appeared headed past the end line. The wind held the ball up, however, and Robinson raced over to head the ball into the far corner of the net.

Was it the luck of the Irish? “You’ve got to make your own luck,” said Cano, “and they were able to do it on one occasion.”

In the other semifinal game, host Barry University beat Adelphi, 4-0, to earn a berth in the final against Keene State.