photo by Jan Dona, L&C Media Services
Sydney Schmidt, Boitumelo Rabale, Ella Kieley, Kara Crutchley and Chelsea Riden celebrate following Rabale’s second-half goal during Monday’s matchup with Navarro.
The Lewis and Clark Trailblazers (No. 4) women’s soccer team got by their first opponent on the opening day of the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Soccer Tournament in Melbourne, Fla. L&C defeated No. 9 Navarro 2-0.
Forward Boitumelo Rabale, who leads the league in points, goals and assists, netted both goals for the Trailblazers. The first came at 20 minutes into the game when she scored on a header that came off a corner kick from Emma Lucas. L&C got an insurance goal in the second half when Rabale drilled a 40-yard free kick under the crossbar and into the corner of Navarro’s net.
Playing with a short bench, with three players out because of injury and illness, Coach Tim Rooney said his team played well.
“We played solid defensively and got a few chances,” Rooney said. “We were able to take advantage of our chances better than they were.”
The Trailblazers will have a day off today (Tuesday). Pool play will continue for L&C on Wednesday, when they’ll face No. 5 Hill College at 11:30 a.m. If the Trailblazers win, they’ll advance to the semifinals scheduled for Friday. The championship game is set for Saturday.
All of L&C’s games from the NJCAA Division I Women’s National Soccer Tournament are being broadcast live on 89.9 WLCA.
To learn more about L&C women’s soccer, visit www.lc.edu/athletics/womens/soccer/.
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