Fresno State outlasted by Cal Baptist in overtime, 13-10

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Vying for fifth place in the conference, Fresno State owned a two-goal advantage over Cal Baptist on two separate occasions in the fourth period on Sunday afternoon at the Burns Aquatics Center. With 2:54 remaining in regulation, Callie Woodruff gave the Bulldogs a 10-8 lead but CBU would respond with two goals down the stretch to send it into overtime. The Lancers poured in three more goals in overtime while shutting down the 'Dogs to earn a 13-10 victory.

Callie Woodruff was outstanding on the offensive end today. The freshman logged five goals, tying her season-high. It also marked the second consecutive game in which Fresno State had a five-goal scorer, as Emily Nicholson did it in the 11-4 win over Concordia on Saturday.

Speaking of Emily Nicholson, all she did was tally a hat trick on Sunday. The GCC Co-Newcomer of the Year led the Bulldogs in scoring with nine goals during the conference tournament.

"We've come a long way in eight months," head coach Natalie Benson said. "I think for us to be fighting for fifth place in the conference in a tough game against a good team, that's more than what a lot of people expected out of a first-year program. Obviously, we're young. We really had to ride the freshmen a lot and they've gained a ton of experience throughout the year and even just in the tournament setting. I think moving forward, obviously we coaches know more about them as players and as people and can better coach them. And then we can also see what we're missing as a group and try to make sure we address that with our recruiting."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Fresno State struck first in the opening period when Emily Nicholson converted on a back-handed shot from the inside to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Cal Baptist answered quickly with a goal from Jaclyn Myers to tie it up at 1-1 with 3:57 left in the first. CBU got on the board again at the 1:52 mark to take its first lead of the game at 2-1 before Callie Woodruff scored with just 17 seconds remaining to make it a 2-2 game going into the second period.

Both offenses shined in the second as the two teams combined for seven goals. The Lancers scored the first two goals of the frame to take a 4-2 lead. But Woodruff and Nicholson would team-up again to tie it up at 4-4 with 4:53 left in the half. Cal Baptist retook the lead at 5-4 before Woodruff completed the first-half hat trick to tie it up at 5-5. CBU converted again with 40 seconds remaining which gave the Lancers a 6-5 lead at the break.

It didn't take long for Woodruff to enter the scoring column again as she tied the game up at 6-6 with 2:14 left in the third period. Lizette Perez of CBU answered to give her squad a 7-6 lead, but Maddie Loggins would counter for Fresno State to again tie the game up, as the two teams were knotted at seven goals apiece heading into the fourth.

This time it was the Bulldogs who took a one-goal advantage, their first lead since 4-3 with 6:30 left in the opening period. Claire Schade lobbed one into the corner of the cage to give the 'Dogs an 8-7 advantage. Emily Nicholson followed suit with her third score of the game, as Fresno State led 9-7 with 4:33 remaining in regulation. Vickie Ochoa scored to bring CBU within one but Callie Woodruff poured in her game-high fifth of the contest to give her team a two-goal lead once again.

The 'Dogs had all the momentum on their side coming down the stretch, but Cal Baptist managed to stay composed. The Lancers matched Fresno State's offense with two goals of their own, both within the last two minutes of the fourth, to send the game to overtime tied at 10-10.

CBU carried over its energy from the final minutes of regulation into overtime. Cal Baptist outscored the Bulldogs 3-0 in extra time to clinch fifth place in the Golden Coast Conference with a 13-10 win.

2018 COMES TO A CLOSE
Fresno State concludes its inaugural season with a 7-18 overall record and a 3-4 mark in conference play during the regular season. In the GCC Championships, the Bulldogs dropped games to Azusa Pacific (9-7) and Cal Baptist (13-10), while they dominated Concordia in the second round 11-4.

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Fresno State Athletics

Fresno State outlasted by Cal Baptist in overtime, 13-10

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