PENSACOLA, Fla. - The No. 25 University of California, Merced women's soccer team made more history on Monday afternoon with a 3-0 upset win over #4/#6 Campbellsville University in the NAIA National Championship Round of 16. The Bobcats (12-3-2) now advance to the Quarterfinal Round for the first time in program history.
Women's soccer is the first team in UC Merced history, in any sport, to reach the NAIA Quarterfinals. Also of note, UC Merced is the first California Pacific Conference women's soccer squad to advance to the Quarterfinal Round.
Yareli Hernandez shined for the Bobcats with a goal in each half, including recording the eventual game-winning goal in the eighth minute. Liliana Johnson doubled the Bobcats lead in the 32nd minute with her first career goal before Hernandez capped the scoring in the 62nd minute.
Hernandez upped her scoring output to 12 goals this season, becoming just the sixth player in program history to reach that mark. Monday marked her second career brace and she is the first Bobcat to ever register a brace in a national tournament game.
Alicia Lepe earned her tenth shutout of the season and made a career-high six saves against a Campbellsville team that entered the match ranked fourth in the NAIA with 91 total goals.
Defenders Katy Flores, Zitlali Herrera, Preeya Singh, and Macy Max played the full 90 minutes. Hernandez and Yesenia Tijerina also logged every minute.
All 12 of the Bobcats wins this season have come in shutout fashion.
UC Merced was outshot 17-7 in the victory, but made its opportunities count and put all three of its shots on goal into the back of the net. Campbellsville also won the corner kick battle 11-2, but the Bobcats defense stood strong when it mattered the most.
Despite the unbalanced corner kick count, UC Merced earned the first corner of the game just four minutes in. Although it didn't result in a shot due to a foul in the box against the Bobcats, Tijerina got off the games first shot a minute later.
Then in the eighth minute, Diana Rico intercepted a Campbellsville pass in the Bobcats attacking third and played it to Hernandez for the first goal of the game. Hernandez received the ball just outside the box and then fired between two Lady Tigers and beat the keeper near post. Rico's assist was her first of the season.
Following the goal, CU tallied three corner kicks in a 70-second span but Max and Flores worked hard to keep the Bobcats ahead 1-0.
Lepe was tasked with one of her more difficult saves of the match in the 23rd minute, a save that required her to leave her feet on a shot from the top of the box.
The Bobcats doubled their lead in the 32nd minute when Giulia Salemme chipped a pass over the defense to the sprinting Johnson. Johnson took one touch to get inside the box and then buried her shot past the diving keeper.
UC Merced carried its 2-0 lead into the break, scoring on two of their four shots. Campbellsville came up empty with six first half shots and six first half corner kicks.
While the Bobcats defense continued to preserve the shutout in the second half, offensive stars Tijerina and Hernandez connected to extend the Bobcats lead to 3-0 in the 62nd minute. Johnson was also in on the action, recovering possession in the center circle and then playing Hernandez further up the pitch. Hernandez laid it for Tijerina and then continued her run down the field, getting behind two defenders before receiving the ball back and blasting a shot into the back of the net to cap the scoring and complete her brace.
UC Merced stood strong and kept the Lady Tigers without a goal despite ten more shots and three corner kicks in the final 29 minutes. Max made a few key defensive plays along with Lepe.
With the win, UC Merced improves to 3-1 all-time in the national tournament with all three wins coming via the shutout. The Bobcats three goals are the most in the four national tournament games.
Also of note, Monday marked the program's first ever win against a Top 10 opponent.
Up next, UC Merced will play #5/#10 The College of Idaho in the Quarterfinal Round on Thursday, December 5 at 11:00am PST. The Coyotes knocked off #9/#12 Marian 3-2 on Monday night.
