Riverside, Calif. - In a highly contested affair, the Lady Firestorm mustered enough strength to achieve a 1-0 victory over the La Sierra University Golden Eagles. Alyssa Mercado supplied midfielder Bianca Cruz with the decisive score and her first goal of the season. ACU is now 3-0 on the road as they inch closer to conference play.

Score: Arizona Christian 1, La Sierra 0
Records:  Arizona Christian 3-1-1 (0-0-0) | La Sierra 1-1-0 (0-0-0)
Location: La Sierra Soccer Field - Riverside, CA

STAT TRACKER

Bianca Cruz - 1 goal, 1 on goal
Alyssa Mercado - 1 assist, 2 shots
Cami Mercado - 7 shots, 3 on goal
Rachel Clark - 2 shots, 1 on goal
Cadence Peroff - 3 shots
Tayler Wonderly - 4 saves

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

To say that this match played out evenly, would be an understatement. The Firestorm and Golden Eagles seemed to carry nearly identical energy from the opening kick. Midfielder Cami Mercado took the first shot for ACU before La Sierra's Alyssa Rangel tried her hand less than a minute later. 

Much of the same transpired in the rest of the first period, with three total saves from goalkeeper Brenna Sonsini. Defender Rachel Clark sent in the Firestorm's only shot on goal in the 15th minute and ACU outshot La Sierra 6-3 in the final 18 minutes. However, this edge did not produce any advantage on the scoreboard, the match tied 0-0 at the half.

Like in their game against Antelope Valley, Tayler Wonderly replaced Sonsini at goalkeeper in the second period. ACU fired off three shots and Wonderly proved her mettle with an early save, before Alyssa Mercado teed up Bianca Cruz for a decisive score with 25 minutes remaining. The goal was Cruz's first of the year and third that Mercado has contributed to. 

The Golden Eagles managed to get off four shots, three of those on target, but Wonderly and the Firestorm defense stood firm. Some tension arose in the final minutes, as ACU was the recipient of three yellow cards. Despite this fact, ACU earned a 1-0 triumph in the end.

THOUGHTS FROM COACH GINA CORMIER

"I'm very proud of the Lady Firestorm," Coach Cormier said. "Road games are challenging for any team, and the girls showed their perseverance. We played aggressively and we grew in unity together as we defeated our opponents."

NEXT MATCH

The Lady Firestorm earn three days off prior to returning for a home match against the Bethesda University Lion Angels. The Friday game begins bright and early at 9:00 AM, as ACU will look for three straight wins. Follow along with live stats at https://acufirestorm.com/sidearmstats/wsoc/summary or watch the live stream at https://www.gsacsportsnetwork.com/azchristian/. 


Roll Storm!