VANCOUVER, Wash. – Clark College put together a gritty defensive effort Saturday afternoon but came up just short in a 1-0 loss to Tacoma at Kim Christensen Field.
Freshman goalkeeper Ella Lullich was nothing short of spectacular, keeping the Penguins in the match with 16 saves. Lullich stopped nine shots in the first half alone, weathering an early Tacoma onslaught, and added seven more in the second half. Time and again she turned away dangerous looks, diving to her left and right to frustrate Tacoma's attack.
The match's lone goal came in the 53rd minute when Tacoma's Melanie Rojas-Perez finally broke through, scoring off an assist from Josie Harris. Despite the setback, Clark's back line, anchored by defenders Jaleyah Pitre (two shots, two on target, plus a defensive save) and Isabel Zubiria, stood strong against 27 Tacoma attempts.
Offensively, Clark generated eight shots, with Lainey Haden and Pitre each testing Tacoma's keeper twice. Bellaliis Town, Isabel Zubiria, and Bella Rodriguez also pushed forward, but the Penguins couldn't find the equalizer.
Clark drops to 1-1 overall and 1-1 in conference play, but the performance of Lullich gave the Penguins plenty to build on heading into their next matchup.
Next up, the penguins travel to Pierce College (0-4-1, 0-1 WEST) on Wednesday, Sept 17th.
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