Box Score SAN RAFAEL, Calif. — Shots in soccer generally reflect opportunity and effort but ultimately players and teams are rewarded for goals.

Thus the Dominican University of California women were rewarded on Monday. Though outshot 19-5 by visiting Dixie State College, the Lady Penguins scored the only two goals in the game and beat the Red Storm on Kennelly Field at the John F. Allen Athletics Complex for their first win of the season. The 2-0 victory by Dominican (1-3-0/1-1-0) avenged a 4-0 loss to Dixie State (1-3-2/0-2-1) last year in Utah.

“Going into this game we wanted to force them into bad shots and I felt we did a really good job in forcing them into 30-35 yard shots,” said Dominican Director of Soccer Jon Delano. “And I thought our goalkeeper, Megan Herring, was fantastic. She made that one big-time save at end and other than that she was really calm.”
She was one other thing."

“I'm a little tired,” Herring said after she recorded 12 saves, including a leaping deflection of a blistering shot by Dixie State's Kristin Page with under two minutes remaining in the Pacific West Conference contest.

Herring's teammates, meanwhile, managed only five shots in the game yet two of them went in.

The first one was by freshman Stephanie Owens, whose heads-up play took advantage of a momentary breakdown in communication in the Dixie State defense. Senior Emily Whitaker played a long ball toward the Red Storm goal but Dixie State goalkeeper Abby Johnson appeared as if she expected her defenders to clear the ball. Suddenly, Owens swooped in and retrieved the loose ball and kicked it past Johnson for the game's first goal at the 22:42 mark of the first half.

“Steph got rewarded,” said Delano. “The thing with this team is they never stop working and we've seen that in the last two games. We've battled every single second. That play right there with Steph shows what this team is all about.”

The Lady Penguins scored their second goal at the 51:46 mark, thanks to a terrific crossing pass from the deep corner by freshman Lauren Gollnick that rolled through the goalmouth where teammate Julianna Bratsberg kicked it past Johnson. It was the 23rd career goal at Dominican by Bratsberg, a graduate student in Occupational Therapy.

“It was good for G to get on the scoresheet,” said Delano. “She does so much in holding the ball up for us as we build up play in the field so for her to get a goal is great.”

The game, however, came down to Dominican's defense and there were plenty of contributions. Center defender Kathryn Ripple saved a goal with a clearing kick in the first half following a Herring save with her backside after she dived to the ground. Ripple's effort was equaled by teammates and fellow defenders Whitaker, Megan Hanson, and Kendra Corsberg.

“The four of them were fantastic,” said Delano.

Midfielders Mckenna Kimball, Jessica Ramirez, and Alex Moran also had standout performances to support the Dominican defense.

The Lady Penguins host Simpson University in non-conference play on Thursday, Sept. 20 at 4:00 p.m. before hitting the road. They play their next conference match on Tuesday, Sept. 25, at Holy Names University in Oakland, one of the four new members in the PacWest this season.