REDDING, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's soccer team tied their program record for wins and shutouts with a 4-0 victory over Simpson University in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon at Simpson Soccer Field.
The Bobcats (13-2, 10-1) shutout was their 12th of the season. Both the 13 wins and 12 shutouts tie the record from the 2015 campaign. Head coach Roman DuChateau's team has five straight shutouts.
Trinidad Quiroz scored two goals and recorded two assists in the win and she finishes the regular season ranked first in the California Pacific Conference and fifth in the NAIA with 20 goals. She scored 12 of her goals in conference play. With her six points on Saturday, Quiroz moved ahead of Emily Burnett and Jocelyne Garcia for second in program history with 88 career points. Saturday marked her eighth game of the year playing a role in every Bobcat goal.
Jennavieve Ordonez added a goal and an assist for her first career three-point game, while Isabella Spiva finished out the Bobcats scoring with her second goal in as many games.
Defensively, Jadyn Gong made three saves in her tenth solo shutout of the campaign. She heads into the postseason leading the league in that category and is ranked fourth in the country.
Quiroz scored the eventual game-winning goal in the 21st minute by tapping in a free kick inside the goal area from Ordonez. Ordonez took the free kick from approximately ten yards outside the corner of the box and towards the touch line.
The goal was the difference maker in the game and in half number one as the Bobcats led 1-0 at intermission. UC Merced held Simpson without a shot in the first 45 minutes.
Quiroz and Ordonez connected for the second time in the 47th minute to double the Bobcats lead.
Quiroz took the ball into the corner of the box and took a couple more touches before shaking off two Simpson defenders in order to send a clean pass to Ordonez awaiting right in front of the goal. Ordonez tapped the pass right in for her first goal of the season.
Trinity Dunbar intercepted a Simpson goalkeeper kick in the 71st minute that led to the Bobcats third goal, volleying it ahead to Quiroz who beat her defender and lasered her shot near post and past the diving keeper. Dunbar's assist was her first of the campaign.
Spiva got in the scoring column in the 87th minute from 35 yards away, taking her shot from well outside the right side of the box and burying her shot far corner. Quiroz played it to Spiva to earn the assist.
Spiva's goal was the 22nd of her career, moving into a tie with Veronica Villacorta for eighth in program history.
UC Merced outshot Simpson 14-3 in the win, 9-3 on target. Quiroz put four of her seven shots on frame.
The Bobcats won the corner kick battle 5-3.
Up next, UC Merced will host the California Pacific Conference Championships November 9-11 at Bobcat Field. The second-seeded Bobcats will play the winner of an opening round game between #3 University of Saint Katherine and #6 Park University Gilbert. Those two teams will play on Saturday, November 4, with the Bobcats hosting the semifinal on Thursday, November 9.
