San Diego Athletics

LOS ANGELES — The Toreros held 54% of possession and matched LMU with four shots on target Saturday afternoon at Sullivan Field, but the Lions scored in the 83rd minute for a 1-0 win.

Ilise Medrano went the full 90 minutes in goal and made three saves, turning away LMU in the 16th, 54th and 67th minutes to keep the match scoreless deep into the second half.

Neither side scored in an even first half, with San Diego holding 51% of possession and winning three of the half's five corners. Amanda Anders forced a save in the 33rd minute and Lily Johnson took two of her team-high three shots before the break.

San Diego pushed harder after halftime, putting up eight shots in the second half, twice its first-half total. Marissa Morales was on target with both of her attempts, in the 65th and 75th minutes, and the first of them set off a flurry, with two Torero corners and a blocked Kate Sealy shot in the next 40 seconds.

LMU broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute, and the Toreros went right back at the Lions. Ella Callanan forced a save one minute later as San Diego chased the equalizer.

"Obviously we're disappointed with the result," head coach Greg LaPorte said. "I thought LMU defended very well for the entire game and made it difficult for us to break them down. At the same time, I thought most of their dangerous moments came from us turning the ball over, and ultimately they caught us on one of those moments in transition. In a tight conference game, the margins are incredibly small. We had some really good moments and created chances that were good enough to change the game, but we have to be more clinical and turn those opportunities into goals. Ultimately we have to find a way to get the result."

UP NEXT
San Diego stays on the road for a WCC match at Seattle U on Wednesday, Oct. 7. Kickoff at Championship Field is set for 7 p.m.