COSTA MESA -- Senior day for VU women's soccer witnessed the Blue and Gold take on the Golden Eagles of Concordia University Irvine on Thursday afternoon.  The Lions honored seven seniors before the game and then looked sharp in a 0-0 first half against CUI, with little to separate the sides.  Unfortunately, CUI scored four unanswered goals in the second half to turn a 1-0 VU lead into a 4-1 CUI victory.  The win pushed the Golden Eagles to 12-1-2 overall and 8-1-1 in the Pacific West Conference, while VU ends its season at 3-10-2 overall and 2-7-2 in league play.
 
 
What Happened?  The celebration of the senior class saw Charlize Espinoza, Jordin Holmquist-Wilder, Jena Howard, Takara Kiesel, Madalyn Morris, Bethany Urrabazo, and Alyssa Fong, all who have contributed this season and beyond.  With a successful ceremony, the game commenced, and CUI had the first slew of opportunities, with three corner kicks in the first 10 minutes.  But Holmquist-Wilder needed to make only one easy save during that stretch and VU started to unlock the defense of the Golden Eagles after that.  The Lions found space by attacking the left and right backs, but CUI was able to hold the line long enough to get the offside flag to go up.  Fong made the first shot of the game for VU in the 14th minute and Howard followed two minutes later, but neither troubled the CUI keeper.  VU kept up the good pace and Francesca Lindstrom had the next shot in the 29th minute, but it was scooped up by the CUI goalie.
 
The squads jockeyed for territory the rest of the period, but neither team found a goal, which sent send the game into halftime knotted at 0-0.  VU had a 3-2 lead in shots after 45 minutes.
 
The second half opened as the first half ended, with both units testing the defenses, but neither side had a shot in the first 10 minutes.  Holmquist-Wilder made a quality diving save in the 55th minute to keep the Golden Eagles off the board and it would not take long for the Lions to find a response.  Kennedy Cypher put an apt touch on a ball through the box and Howard blasted it into the net in the 61st minute.  The VU celebrations involved the entire team, as the senior put the team ahead 1-0 on her second goal of the season.
 
But the positive energy soon died off, as CUI scored three goals over the next 10 minutes to surge to a 3-1 advantage.  VU tried to press forward but could not find any easy lanes to attack, and the Golden Eagles tacked on another goal in the 87th minute to collect a 4-1 victory.
 
Concordia Irvine had a 10-5 lead in shots, a 7-4 edge in shots on goal, and a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks.  Howard and Lindstrom paced the lineup with two shots each and Fong had the other attempt for VU.  Holmquist-Wilder made three saves.
 
Why is it Important?  The Lions are now 10-9-5 against CUI all-time.
 
What was Said?  "I am so proud of this team," said Coach Emily Reynolds.  "They played with courage every day and kept believing in who we are and what we can do together.  As the first VU soccer team to play in the NCAA, I believe they met the moment with an uncommon trust in each other and an unwavering love for the game."