First Conference Road Trip Ahead for WSOC

Heading into the season, the OUAZ women's soccer team had stayed undefeated through its first two conference games in every GSAC slate to date. The Spirit were able to accomplish that again, but not in the fashion they were hoping for in the opening weekend of conference play last week.

After walking away with a pair of ties last Thursday and Saturday at home, the Spirit will hit the road for a visit to Southern California. The Spirit will face Vanguard on Thursday afternoon, then head south to match up with San Diego Christian on Saturday.

The Spirit did not face either Vanguard or San Diego Christian during the Spring of 2021, as the two schools played in the GSAC West during that season. The Lions finished second in the GSAC West with a 3-3 record, while the Hawks did not win a conference game during the shortened season.

While Vanguard started its conference season with a pair of losses, the Lions carry a 3-1-1 record at home. The Spirit have lost both of its matchups with the Lions in the series, most recently a 1-0 final on October 26, 2019.

San Diego Christian is also looking for its first conference win, and its first home win on the season. OUAZ has never lost to the Hawks, outscoring them 8-2 in three all-time wins.

Haley Howard scored the Spirit's lone goal last week, giving her two goals and two assists on the season. She has scored both of those tallies over the last five games, and now has 13 career goals in a Spirit uniform.

OUAZ has two of the top five goal scorers in the conference, as Cassidi Calzaretta (six) and Saipress Jones (five) sit second and fifth, respectively, in the scoring race. Paige Murray-Hernandez ranks in the GSAC top-five in assists with four, and Calzaretta is third in the conference in points with 16.

Chloe Gutierrez earned her first solo shutout of the season on Saturday, and has allowed her to sit in the top five of a couple goaltending categories in the conference. Gutierrez sits fourth in the conference in saves (29) and fifth in save percentage (.879).

The Spirit are giving themselves plenty of opportunities to score all season long. OUAZ has taken 167 shots and 53 corner kicks, which rank second and third in the GSAC, respectively.

Thursday's game at Vanguard is scheduled for 1:30 p.m., with Saturday's game set to kick off at Noon.

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Players Mentioned

#16 Cassidi Calzaretta: F; 5' 7"; Junior

#00 Chloe Gutierrez: GK; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#9 Haley Howard: F; 5' 1"; Junior

#28 Saipress Jones: F; 5' 8"; Junior

#10 Paige Murray-Hernandez: MF; 5' 1"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#16 Cassidi Calzaretta
: 5' 7"; Junior
: F

#00 Chloe Gutierrez
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: GK

#9 Haley Howard
: 5' 1"; Junior
: F

#28 Saipress Jones
: 5' 8"; Junior
: F

#10 Paige Murray-Hernandez
: 5' 1"; Senior
: MF