CLAREMONT, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer Women's Soccer team had their unbeaten season come to an end with a 1-0 loss against Cal Lutheran in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday afternoon at the Pomona-Pitzer Soccer Field.
 
Season Impact: With the loss, the Sagehens fall to 16-1-3 overall and drop out of the NCAA Tournament in the Second Round.
 
Pomona-Pitzer went up against their SCIAC foe Cal Lutheran in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament after both teams came out victorious in their opening-round contests on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Sagehens shot out of the gate in the first 25 minutes of the first half and dominated possession that forced the entire start of the game in the Cal Lutheran defensive third.  Despite creating a few good chances to take an early lead, the Regals weathered the storm and kept the game tied at 0-0.  The game evened out towards the end of the first half, but the Sagehens still were controlling the game and the majority of possession.
 
The game-changing moment came early in the second half after a defensive miscue for the Sagehens allowed the Regals' striker to get the ball with a free run down the wing.  Isabella Veljacic was able to play in a cross towards the front of goal that found the head of Eden Quiroz and despite goalkeeper Patricia DePalma getting a hand on the shot, it trickled into the back of the net to give the Regals a 1-0 lead in the 50^th minute.
 
After going down a goal, the Sagehens started to press forward and created more offensive opportunities, but Cal Lutheran dropped back their forwards and defended for the rest of the second half.  Pomona-Pitzer had a few good looks at goal late in the game including a flurry of blocked shots in the final few minutes, but they couldn't find an equalizer as the Regals handed the Sagehens their first and only loss of 2023.
 
The Sagehens ended their 2023 season unbeaten in the regular season for the first time in program history and added their fifth-straight SCIAC Regular Season Championship as well as their fourth-straight SCIAC Tournament Championship.