VALLEJO, Calif. – The University of California, Merced women's soccer team earned a share of the California Pacific Conference regular season title after defeating Cal Maritime 12-0 on Saturday afternoon and finishing unbeaten in Cal Pac play. It is the Bobcats third share of the regular season title in program history and first since 2016. The Bobcats won the tournament championship last season.
The Bobcats (9-2-2, 6-0-1) will enter the 2024 conference tournament as the #1 seed. Head coach Roman DuChateau's team secured the tiebreaker over co-champion Westcliff due to not conceding a goal in conference play. The Bobcats are one of just two teams in the NAIA with a shutout in every conference game, joining Oklahoma Wesleyan of the KCAC.
The Bobcats 12 goals scored are the most since October 29, 2022. Elisa Garcia, who registered her first career hat trick, jumpstarted the teams offense with the games first goal in the ninth minute rebounding a Vivianna Bravo header attempt that hit off the crossbar. She scored again 52 seconds later off a well-played ball from Katy Flores. The Bobcats scored seven first half goals overall.
Kathryn Rocha scored her first goal of the season in the 11th minute off a corner kick. Yareli Hernandez played Rocha the ball at the penalty marker and the rout was on for the Bobcats.
Salemme made it 4-0 midway through the first half with her first of three goals on the day. The sophomore, who scored her first from the top of the goal area, recorded her first career hat trick.
The Bobcats fifth goal of the night came from Kassidy Spiva. She took advantage of a missed Keelhauler clear attempt and found the back of the net from ten yards out.
A little more than three minutes later, goalkeeper Jadyn Gong was elected to take a Bobcats penalty kick and she converted for her first career goal.
Salemme closed the first half scoring off an impressive assist from Melody Her. Her made a move around multiple defenders and into the corner of the box before sending it to Salemme in the middle who finished with ease for a 7-0 UC Merced lead.
Coming out of the break, Garcia was there to follow a Yesenia Tijerina attempt in the 48th minute to complete her hat trick. Hernandez started the dangerous sequence with a beautiful through ball to Tijerina.
In the 68th minute, Tijerina got in the scoring column beating the keeper off a cross from Alondra Higareda and extending the Bobcats advantage to 9-0.
Salemme capped off her hat trick in the 74th minute tapping in a Kyla Dolorfino cross near post.
Another penalty kick goal followed four minutes later and Hernandez stepped up to the stripe and buried her shot.
Flores scored the final goal in the 89th minute as Alexia Alva did a great job feeding the ball to the junior in the corner of the goal area and pulling the keeper off her line.
UC Merced outshot Cal Maritime 56-1, 39-1 on target. Salemme put all eight of her shots on goal, while Tijerina and Garcia recorded six and five shots on frame, respectively.
Jadyn Gong played all 90 minutes in goal making the only save she was tasked with to post her third clean sheet of the year. She earned her 28th career win, passing Ally Lozano for the second most in program history.
Player Notes
- Tijerina's goal was her team-leading 13th of the year. Her 13 goals scored are the fifth most by any Bobcat in a single season.
- Garcia and Salemme became the third and fourth players in the DuChateau era to record a hat trick, joining Trinidad Quiroz and Tijerina.
- Two Bobcats recorded a hat trick in the same match for the first time since November 5, 2021
- Garcia and Salemme each have four goals now this season
- Hernandez tied her career-long goal scoring streak with a goal in three consecutive games
- Hernandez and Tijerina finished tied for second in Cal Pac play with seven goals
- Hernandez finished tied for third in Cal Pac play with three assists
- Flores recorded her first career three-point game
- Spiva's goal was her first of the season
- Dolorfino, Higareda, and Tijerina were credited with their first assists of the season
- Her's assist was her first in a UC Merced uniform
- Bravo's assist was the first of her career
- Lepe finished first in the Cal Pac with five solo shutouts
- Gong finished tied for third with two solo shutouts
UC Merced finished unbeaten in Cal Pac play for the second time in program history, also going unbeaten in 2020.
Up next, the top-seeded Bobcats will face #4 seed Simpson University in the California Pacific Conference Championship Semifinals on Thursday, November 7. First touch from Soka Soccer Field in Aliso Viejo, Calif., is scheduled for 4:30pm.
