WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – California (Pa.) broke up a scoreless tie with a pair of late goals here Friday night to hand the West Liberty University women's soccer team a 2-0 setback on opening night at the West Family Athletic Complex.
    The disappointing setback did nothing to take the shine off the sparkling new addition to the WLU athletic lineup. The bright lights illuminating the pristine artificial turf field and state of the art 8-lane all-weather track made quite an impression on spectators and participants alike.
    "It's unfortunate we couldn't come away with a better result tonight," head coach Barry Christmas said, "but this was a great night for our soccer team and our university. We are very grateful for all the hard work and support that resulted in one of the most impressive soccer venues in the region."
    Neither team was able to mount a sustained offensive threat during the opening half but the Hilltoppers came out flying at the start of the second half.
    The Black and Gold dominated the run of play for the first 20 minutes of the second half but Vulcan keeper Carly Gobbie was equal to the task.
    Gobbie turned aside shots by WLU's Jordan Smith and Layne Hartnell in the first seven minutes of the second half and made a diving save on Nikki Lolua in the 61st minute.
    "We had our chances at the start of the second half," Christmas said. "I think if we score there, it's a very different game but give (California) credit. They kept playing hard and weathered the storm."
    The Vulcans broke the scoring ice off a set piece in the 71st minute. Anna Billey won possession of a well-struck Carilyn Pasierb corner kick inside the six and ripped it home for a 1-0 lead.
    The goal seemed to light a fire under the visitors as momentum swung decisively in their direction. Another scramble in front of the Hilltopper cage produced the game's final goal as Hannah Burgess knocked home a rebound in the 82nd minute.
    The Vulcans finished with a 9-6 edge in shots and forced three corners to none for the hosts. Gobbie's only three saves of the night came during that early second-half flurry but were good enough to earn the shutout. West Liberty keeper Olivia Montgomery was charted with 5 saves.
    The Hilltoppers return to the West Family Athletic Complex turf on Tuesday when they host Ursuline (Ohio) in a 5 p.m. match.
  California (Pa.)        0  2 – 2
West Liberty            0  0 – 0      CUP: Anna Billey (Carilyn Pasierb), 70:03
     CUP: Hannah Burgess (unassisted), 81:43      Shots: California (Pa.) 9, West Liberty 6
     Saves: California (Pa.) 3 (Carly Gobbie 3), West Liberty 5 (Olivia Montgomery 5)
     Corners: California (Pa.) 3, West Liberty 0
A: 150