Toros Win NCAA West Region First Round Match Up 2-1 Over San Francisco State

Freshman Jessica Murphy accounts for both scores as Toros face host and 12th-ranked Western Washington on Sunday

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Bellingham, WA -- Freshman Jessica Murphy scored two goals in a game for the fourth time this season, and her effort was enough to propel the Toros past San Francisco State 2-1 in an NCAA West Region first round contest, moving them to Sunday's second round against host and 12th-ranked Western Washington.

The Toros played a fast and aggressive contest from the start, out-shooting the designated home team 6-4 in the first half of play. That attack mentality paid dividends in the 20th minute as Murphy collected a ball off the foot of MaKenzie Pedrotti, and deflected home her blast from the top of the box past SFSU keeper Emily Hart for a 1-0 lead, where the score stood entering the half.

CSUDH looked to double their lead 12 minutes into the second half when senior Yvonne Vasquez found herself with a clear shot at the goal after Hart had come out of her box. But her tough-angled shot went six inches to the right of the post, keeping SFSU within striking distance.

After letting out a collective sigh of relief, the Gators capitalized on that near-miss at 66:10 as Sarah Whelan's shot attempted prompted CSUDH keeper Alyssa Congdon to come out of her box, allowing Carly Bliss to tap in the equalizer.

SFSU's momentum lasted all of 12 minutes as Murphy again hit paydirt in the 82nd minute. After positioning herself at the top of the box, she took a one-touch from Vasquez and sent the ball in the goal for the game-winner at 82:08, just before a collision with Hart.

Both teams managed 11 shots in the night with the Toros taking a slim 5-3 edge in corners, while CSUDH committed 15 fouls to SFSU's 4.

Congdon and Hart each managed two saves in the contest as CSUDH avenged an earlier season 2-0 defeat at SFSU on September 17.

At 14-9, CSUDH now faces host Western Washington on Sunday at 1:00 pm, looking to avenge an earlier season 2-0 loss to the Vikings, which gave the Toros their first loss of the season.

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