Box Score Late Goal Lifts Cal Past Scrappy Mounties in 2015 Season Opener

MANSFIELD – Freshman Delaney Meadows first collegiate goal tied the score at 1-1 midway through the second half but California scored what proved to be the game-winner with less than three minutes to play to pull out a 2-1 win over Mansfield in the opening game of the season for both teams Saturday afternoon.

"We did what we had to do especially in the second half," said head coach Tim Dempsey. "We're not going to be a team that possess the ball for long-periods of time so we just have to get it forward and go from there and we did that for much of today."

It was a great effort by a young Mountaineer team that was starting just two players from last year's team that dropped a late-season 1-0 loss to then playoff-bound Cal.

California scored the game's first goal in the 34^th minute with Kara Novotny took a cross from Daniela Dell'Aquila and flicked it past a diving goalie.

The lone goal stood up throughout the first half before Mansfield got on the scoreboard 25 minutes into the second half.

Senior Karyn Anselmo centered a ball from 40-yards out into the box where Meadows took it off her thigh and settled the ball in traffic before quickly putting it past the oncoming goalie to tie the game at 1-1.

Mansfield went on the attack again five minutes later but Cal goalie Meghan Jayes rejected two more shots from Meadows to keep the tie in place.

With regulation winding down, Mansfield was awarded a corner kick that failed to get a shot on goal. One minute later, Novotny placed a perfect shot into left handed top corner of the net just above Mansfield goalie Rachel Fox's outstretched fingers for the winning score.

Fox was outstanding in goal in her first collegiate game recording five saves, a number of them diving saves.

Jayes also had five saves for California.

California took 21 shots to Mansfield's four but the Mountaineers outshot the Vulcans 10-8 in the second half. Kelsey Chapman, Nikki Ortiz and Anselmo each put shots on goal for Mansfield.

The Mountaineers travel to defending PSAC Champion East Stroudsburg on Wednesday