Redlands women finish with win

The University of Redlands women's soccer team paid tribute to its four seniors in the grandest way possible, winning the 2008 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship with a 1-0 victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges.

Prior to the start of the match, the team recognized senior forward Erica Jahn (Davis, CA), senior midfielder Steffany Becker (Las Vegas, NV), senior midfielder Becky Willis (Escondido, CA) and senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA) for their years of service to the Bulldog women's soccer team.

Two seniors combined to generate the match's lone goal as Willis scored in the 23rd minute off of a long pass by Jahn. That score was enough to lift Redlands to its fourth-ever SCIAC title and its second in three years.

Junior goalkeeper Tenley Rawlings (Salt Lake City, UT) kept a clean sheet between the pipes, stopping all four shots on frame.

The Bulldogs held the shot advantage 18-11 and outchanced the Athenas on corner kicks as well (3-2).

Coming into the match, the team needed at least a tie to claim the title outright. A loss would have resulted in a shared title with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Head Coach Suzette Soboti, who is now in her 11th year at the helm of the squad, has coached all four SCIAC-champion Bulldog teams.

Redlands (13-4-1, 9-3 SCIAC) hosts the semifinal games of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament on Wednesday, and the maroon and gray will play in the second of two games against the No. 4 seed,  the University of La Verne. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. at Farquhar Field. The winner of the SCIAC Postseason Tournament receives the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.