Box Score

Arcata, CA -- Junior Yvonne Vasquez tallied both goals as the Toros survived a furious Humboldt State rally in the game's closing moments, including a penalty kick that cut the deficit in half, as 25th-ranked CSUDH pushed its unbeaten streak to nine games with a hard-fought 2-1 win in Arcata this morning.

The victory improved the Toros to 10-1 overall and 5-1-2 in the CCAA, while Humboldt State fell to 3-10-2 and 1-8-0 in league.

The fierce battle saw 14 shots fired by the Toros and 12 by the Lumberjacks. Humboldt State goalkeeper Michela Hernandez accumulated four saves, and the Toros' Alyssa Congdon gather five balls.

"Today was one of our better performances," Humboldt State head coach Andy Cumbo said. "It was an evenly played game. We made a couple of mistakes in the back, and they made us pay for them. That's what good teams do."

While not tested often during the opening half, both teams' keepers did experience anxious moments.  Humboldt State had perhaps the best two opportunities, the first a hard drive from Kim Carroll that CSUDH's Congdon gathered at the waist, and the second a long shot by Elissa WHite that narrowly missed dipping under the crossbar.

The halftime numbers reflected the balance effort, the Toros attempting eight shots to Humboldt State's six, and each keeper registering two saves by the break. On the board, the struggle was evident in the 0-0 score.

Fourteen minutes into the second half, a misplayed ball accounted for a breakaway and the first score as the speedy Vasquez stepped in front of the missed pass and  dribbled ahead of two defenders for the point-blank shot and goal.

Likewise, another breakdown on the HSU defense allowed Vasquez to sprint ahead. After collecting the ball, she dribbled in for a hard shot that rocketed past Hernandez to make the score 2-0 at the  74:32 mark.

The game turned physical resulting in a free kick and penalty kick on consecutive plays.  Following the missed free kick opportunity, Congdon knocked HSU's Erin Ashdown to the ground, and Kelsey Gomula drove home the ensuing penalty kick to cut the lead in half with 5:19 remaining to be played.

The Toros resume CCAA road action on Wednesday as they face No. 4-ranked UC San Diego for a prime-time 7:00 pm match-up in La Jolla.

(Courtesy Humboldt State)