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After the women’s soccer team last year rewarded Point Loma Nazarene University with its first NCAA Division II national championship, the school decided to renovate the Sea Lions’ soccer field.
Already one of the more scenic playing sites in collegiate sports, the PLNU field overlooking the ocean is better than ever … if that’s possible.
“We’re blessed to be playing on one of the most beautiful fields anywhere,” PLNU defender Emma Thrapp said recently.
But there was a downside.
Because the renovations extended into the 2024-2025 school year, the defending national champions started the season on the road.
“We traveled to a different practice site every day,” said head coach Kristi Kiely. “We weren’t exactly where we wanted to be when the season opened.”
Indeed, the Sea Lions’ first home game was played at the Elite Athlete Training Center in Chula Vista — 30 miles and almost 40 minutes from campus.
While PLNU might not have been as prepared as they wanted to be when the season opened, there was a silver lining.
“We’ve dealt with a good share of adversity this season,” said Kiely. “I think we’ve grown stronger because of that. We’re committed.”
The Sea Lions (17-2-1) face the toughest test of their title defense Saturday as they travel to Cal Poly Pomona (18-1-2) for a rematch in an NCAA Division II Western Regionals semifinal.
The top-seeded Broncos defeated PLNU 1-0 back on Sept. 12 in Pomona. But that loss came before PLNU was playing or practicing on its home turf.
“I know Cal Poly has improved since then,” said Kiely. “But we’ve come a long way. We know that wasn’t our best game. We’ve grown. We’re looking forward to the rematch. I think we can use what we experienced early in the season to our benefit.”
Women’s soccer at Point Loma Nazarene University is a confidence game.
Believe in yourself. Believe in the player next to you. Believe in the teammate on the opposite end of the field … and on the bench.
“There is a high degree of pride in who we are and what we’re doing,” Sea Lions’ outside defender Naomi Ellis said earlier this week. “We like to take control of games. That doesn’t just mean scoring.”
“The way we play wears other teams out,” said forward Bethany Arabe. “Precision passing is a big part of our game. Control the ball. Give nothing away and make the most of your opportunities.”
PLNU has allowed only 11 goals in 20 games this season. Goalkeeper Junior Julia Pinnell is the Goalkeeper of the Year in the Pac West Conference off a glowing 0.55 goals-against average with 12 shutouts.
But the PLNU defense goes well beyond the 5-foot-9 Pinnell, who has been spectacular at times but has been called on to make only 44 saves. Opponents have launched only 139 shots against PLNU this season while the Sea Lions have taken 329.
One of the Sea Lions’ strengths is the ability to break down opposing attacks before a shot is launched — then controlling the ball along the back line with precision passing to mount a counterattack.
Senior defenders Thrapp and Ellis and junior running mate Zoe Crockett are first-team all-PacWest selections. Thrapp is the conference’s Defender of the Year for a second straight season. Sophomore defender Grace Nelson was a third-team pick.
In two NCAA Regional one-goal wins at home last week, the Sea Lions gave up one second-half shot on goal. Pinnell turned that one away. Much of the time, PLNU defenders played keep-away with precision passing along the back line.
“Passing by the whole team is a big part of who we are and what we do,” said Kiely. “It’s part of what makes us. Our passing puts pressure on the other team. It gives us the ability to spread the other team out and hopefully make them chase.
“We control the ball.”
“Controlling the ball with our passing is one of the biggest elements we have,” said Ellis, a graduate of Granite Hills High School. “We move the ball around. And what we do on defense can start the attack. We are the last line, but we also build. It comes down to pride and discipline. And we know what the second half looks like. We train for that every day.”
The Sea Lions also have strength up front in senior, first-team all-conference forwards Alana Diaz (eight goals, seven assists) and Arabe (seven goals, six assists) and midfielders Alyssa Ketchum and Gianna Masinter. Junior Ketchum (three goals, six assists) is a second-team all-conference pick while freshman Masinter (three goals, two assists) was a third-team pick. And forward Priya Thomas (three goals, two assists) was the Pac West Freshman of the Year.
Kiely has a 94-17-11 record in her seven seasons as the PLNU coach. She has led the Sea Lions into the NCAA playoffs six times (no playoffs during the COVID-shortened 2020 season). She was named the Pac West Coach of the Year.
“We have a lot going for us,” said Kiely of coaching at PLNU. “We have a great community and academics and we have this absolute gem of a campus. We have athletes reaching out to us.
“Our philosophy is to demand much on the field and take care of people off the field. It’s hard to do both, but these women are about that.”
You can spot that during substitutions. Players coming off the field warmly greet the player taking their spot.
“If you know you’ve done all you can, you feel better about passing it off to the next person,” said Kiely. “It’s your turn now, make it better. I think that has a lot to do with intangibles. Work ethic is really important in our program. You have to be committed. It’s energy and determination.”
“There are a lot of reasons why I’m here,” said Arabe. “I first heard about PLNU because of soccer. But when I visited, it checked off a lot of boxes I didn’t even know I had. Community is one of the big reasons. I want to be a doctor and the balance here of values and academics make that possible.”
Every week, U-T contributor Bill Center highlights one San Diego college team that’s making strides on and off the field. To nominate a team, email wcenter27@gmail.com.
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