REDDING, Calif. - Jocelyne Garcia scored the golden goal in the 104th minute to propel the University of California, Merced women's soccer team to a 1-0 double overtime win over Simpson University on Wednesday afternoon.
With the win, the Bobcats (5-0) match their best ever start in California Pacific Conference play and have their longest winning streak since the 2016 season.
Garcia's golden goal extended her goal scoring streak to five games and she becomes just the second player in program history with a streak of that length. Garcia joins Emily Burnett, who accomplished that feat in the 2018 season.
Garcia's score also moved her into a tie with Bridget Villanueva for ninth place on the program's all-time points list. The sophomore already has 37 career points.
Maddie Door assisted on the golden goal to earn her third assist of the year. Door is the only Bobcat to tally an assist in three of the Bobcats five games.
The Bobcats shutout was the second of the season. The last time the Bobcats shutout an opponent in double overtime was September 21, 2019 at The Master's University.
Ally Lozano earned the start in goal and wasn't forced to make a save, while Veronica Vasquez was in the net for the second half and both overtime periods. Vasquez stopped all four shots she was tasked with, including three in the second half. Her final save came in the closing seconds of the first overtime period.
The goalkeeper's backline consisting of Door, Jessica Garcia, Daisy Perez and Isabella Spiva played all 103 minutes and 35 seconds.
The Bobcats outshot Simpson 26-5, 14-4 on goal. With the flurry of shots, the Bobcats also earned ten corner kicks while having to defend just one Simpson corner.
Joc. Garcia led all players with a career-high ten shots. Seven of her shots were on target. Emily Burnett managed to get off five shots, while D Covarrubias and Stephanie Medina each took two.
The Bobcats busiest offensive stretch in regulation came immediately out of intermission. Less than 90 seconds into the second half, Joc. Garcia fired a shot that was saved by Simpson's Nadia Jimenez. It resulted in a corner kick, which then allowed Joc. Garcia to rocket another one from inside the box. That shot went wide. Before five minutes went off the clock, the Bobcats had taken four shots and earned two corner kicks.
The Bobcats scattered seven shots the rest of the half but came up empty, meaning they had to play their first overtime game of the season.
The first overtime period was controlled by UC Merced as the Bobcats outshot Simpson, 8-2. Covarrubias, Burnett and Joc. Garcia each had two shots. Both of Covarrubias' attempts were saved by Jimenez.
Garcia's golden goal was the only shot by either team in the second overtime period. Simpson committed two of their nine total fouls in the three and a half minutes of double overtime.
The Bobcats are now 11-1 all-time against Simpson.
The double overtime win was the fourth in program history. Prior to today, the Bobcats had 17 draws.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats host La Sierra University for the regular season finale on Friday, March 26. First touch from Bobcat Field is scheduled for 1:00pm.
