MERCED, Calif. - Jenn Salinger scored twice and assisted on two other Bobcat goals as the University of California, Merced women's soccer team shutout Sierra Nevada University 6-0 on Friday afternoon.
The Bobcats (7-5-1, 5-0) shutout was their second in as many games and with it earned their second straight 5-0 start in Cal Pac play and third all-time in program history.
The Bobcats have outscored their opponents 33-4 in conference play this season, including 21-0 in the last two games.
Aside from Salinger, Kimberly Garcia, Haylee Heffner, Stephanie Medina and Alex Carpenter found the back of the net.
The Bobcats outshot Sierra Nevada 40-1, 22-0 on goal.
Garcia was responsible for the game-winning goal, the second fastest goal in program history coming just 49 seconds into the game. Garcia received a touch from Salinger before splitting a pair of Sierra Nevada defenders and rocketing a straighway shot from the top of the 18-yard box.
Garcia's goal was the lone of the half despite 14 shots and four corner kicks. Salinger took seven of those shots, two on target. She nearly doubled the Bobcats lead in the 32nd minute but Eagles keeper Ashley Baker made an acrobatic save near the post on a ground ball shot.
The Bobcats have either led or been tied at intermission in eight straight matches dating back to September 26.
The score remained 1-0 until the 64th minute when D Covarrubias intercepted a defender's pass in the attacking zone and played it to Salinger for the score.
Covarrubias' assist allowed her to move into a tie with four other Bobcats for third in program history with 16 career assists.
Covarrubias has tallied a goal or an assist in a season-best three straight games, a mark that also tied her career-best originally set in her freshman campaign.
Salinger headed in another goal off a Jocelyne Garcia cross in the 71st minute to extend the Bobcats lead to 3-0. While Salinger has accomplished nearly every scoring superlative on the pitch and is the Bobcats all-time goals leader, Friday afternoon marked the first time in her career in which she notched back-to-back multi-goal games.
The floodgates opened up after that and three different Bobcats scored before the final horn. Heffner went upper 90 in the 80th minute for her second goal in as many games. Heffner has two, two game goal-scoring streaks this season. Salinger, who is now second in program history with 18 career assists, assisted Heffner's score.
Soon after Heffner's goal, Medina scored her first goal since the season opener on August 27 to put the Bobcats up 5-0.
Freshman Alex Carpenter finalized the Bobcats 6-0 victory with her first career-goal as time winded down under ten seconds. Carpenter beat the leaping keeper from roughly 25 yards out.
The last two goals were assisted by Ciera Santos and Isabella Spiva. Spiva was also credited with an assist on Salinger's second goal. Spiva's multi-assist game was the first of her career.
Salinger led all players with 13 shots, the third most in a single-game by any player in program history. Kim Garcia got off six shots, Spiva took five.
UC Merced held Sierra Nevada without a shot for the first 81 minutes of the match. The shot came as a result of a corner kick. Sierra Nevada was limited to just ten players on the afternoon due to an injury.
Veronica Vazquez and Jadyn Gong split time between the posts for the shutout. Neither were tasked with making a save.
It was the Bobcats second straight game holding their opponent to just a single shot.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats visit Simpson University on Sunday, October 31. First touch from UPrep High School in Redding, Calif., is scheduled for 11:00am.
