LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Sept. 5, 2007) – If
you took away the first five minutes of the game, the outcome may
have been a tie. Unfortunately for Occidental, Hope International
University took a 1-0 lead just 4:48 into the first half, and held
the Tigers scoreless, handing them a loss in their first game of
the season.
Entering her final collegiate season
Adrienne Spivak served as a leader on the field
and Melissa Warner led things in front of the goal
with five blocks. Joining the senior pair were two juniors, three
sophomores and four newcomers.
Sophomore transfer Moe
Kishida (Tokyo, Japan) was in the starting line-up for the
Tigers after playing at the University of the Pacific a year ago.
Also getting the nod to start for Occidental was a trio of freshman
players from across the country. Emily Niklaus
(Albuquerque, NM), Jesi Sasaki (Mililani, HI) and
Corrine Winkler (Newton, MA) each donned black and
orange for her first collegiate start.
Two more freshmen players, Season
Falker-Rodriguez and Ali Caditz, stepped
on the field for the first time as well.
The Royals' freshman forward Harmony
Pruett found the back of the net early in the first half, leading
Hope to their second victory of the season. Rebecca Dixon had nine
blocks in front of the net for Hope.
Oxy will travel to Riverside, Calif. on Sunday
to face off against non-conference La Sierra University for a 1:00
p.m. kickoff.