LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Occidental lost to Illinois Tech 2-0 on Friday at W.C. Patterson Field at Jack Kemp Stadium. The Tigers finished with a 13-10 shot advantage, including seven attempts in the first half, but were held scoreless.
Melanie Rodriguez, the Tigers' goalkeeper, made five saves and the Tigers withstood five Illinois Tech attacking actions during a late second-half stretch without conceding again.
The Tigers went into halftime down 1-0 after Olivia Roy scored for Illinois Tech in the 27th minute.
Zakrie Smith put a shot on frame less than a minute later, and the Tigers later added back-to-back looks from Merkelbach and Smith in the 38th minute. Smith's look was a breakaway with no one between her and the keeper, but a great save kept the Tigers off the board.
The Tigers faced an early second-half setback when Leena Almeqbeli scored for Illinois Tech off Tvesa Vathulya's assist at 47:55, leaving the Tigers down 2-0, eventually proving insurmountable as the Tigers failed to put together solid chances down the stretch.
It's two-straight shutouts to begin the 2026 campaign with Justice University on the horizon next Wednesday, September 9.
Tigers Top Performers
Melanie Rodriguez
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- five saves
- 90 minutes in goal
Zakrie Smith
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- three shots, two on goal
Mia Merkelbach
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- three shots, one on goal
The Tigers are 0-2-0 overall. Illinois Tech is 1-1-0 overall.
