Claremont, Calif. - Freshman Natalie Barbaresi (Newport Beach, Calif.) scored her first career goal with 7:17 left in regulation to give the Pomona-Pitzer Women's Soccer team a 1-0 win over Redlands on Wednesday.

The win was crucial to Pomona-Pitzer's playoff hopes as it pulls even with Redlands at 6-5-2 in the SCIAC (7-6-2 overall) for the fourth spot in the conference standings and earns the tiebreaker in the process (the teams tied their first meeting 1-1 at Redlands, giving the Sagehens a 1-0-1 advantage head-to-head). Pomona-Pitzer can thus secure a trip to the postseason with a win at La Verne in the regular season finale on Saturday.

A loss or a tie would have eliminated the Sagehens and clinched a bid for Redlands, and the Bulldogs played conservatively throughout, taking only two shots all day (compared to 12 for Pomona-Pitzer) as they were content to keep the score 0-0.

However, Pomona-Pitzer finally broke through on a scramble after a late free kick taken by junior defender Ari Sanchez (Highland, Calif.). Sanchez took the long kick and sent it into the box about 10 yards from goal. Redlands goalie Sabrina Grandke-Bawab came off her line and tried to punch the ball away, but sophomore forward Sam Thompson (Huntington Beach, Calif.) jumped and got her head on it first to flick it past Grandke-Bawab.

The loose ball then caromed inside the right edge of the six-yard box where Barbaresi, who is a defender that the Sagehens have been using at forward this season, was able to slide it into the empty net for her first collegiate goal.

The shutout was the third in a row for the Sagehens, led by senior co-captains Claire Mueller (Lincoln, Neb.) and Jordan Bryant (Pomona, Calif.). Freshman Helena Epps (Santa Cruz, Calif.) had one save for the shutout in goal. The two goalkeepers for Redlands combined for six saves, while junior forward Allie Tao (Alamo, Calif.) hit the crossbar late in the first half on the best chance for the Sagehens in the first 83 minutes, before Barbaresi broke through.

Pomona-Pitzer concludes the regular season at La Verne on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Sagehens would clinch the fourth seed with the win, and draw regular season champion Cal Lutheran in next Wednesday's semifinals. A loss or a tie would open the door for Redlands, which ends its season at home against Whittier, to take the fourth spot instead.