Valerie Spezzaferri scored four goals to help Lancers to semifinals.
BOX SCORE • GCC CHAMPIONSHIPS • PHOTOS
STOCKTON, Calif. - A breakout first half powered No. 5 seed Cal Baptist Lancers to a 17-8 upset victory over the No. 4 seed Azusa Pacific in the third game of the 2015 Golden Coast Conference Championships at Chris Kjeldsen Pool in Stockton, Calif.
Courtney Menard (JR/Calgary, Alberta Canada) led the Lancers (20-13) with a hat-trick in the first quarter while Valerie Spezzaferri (JR/Trabuco Canyon, CA), Hannah Evans (JR/Menifee, CA), Mallory Montano (SR/Murrieta, CA) and Paizlee Dreyer (SO/Riverside, CA) each added a score in the first eight minutes of action. Taylor Whitney (SR/Murrieta, CA) was the lone goal scorer for Azusa Pacific (10-16) in the quarter.
Dryer converted a 6-5 goal to open the scoring in the second quarter and Spezzaferri added her second of the game to extend the Lancer lead to 9-1. Spezzaferri completed a hat-trick with five minutes remaining in the half to give CBU a 10-1 advantage before Alex Paxton (SO/Fullerton, CA) scored to cut the lead to 10-2. Evans scored just before halftime and the Lancers took an 11-2 lead into the halftime break.
The Lancers would cruise in the second half as Evans, Montano and Spezzaferri each added goals and Jessica Castellano (SO/Yorba Linda, CA) added a score.
For Azusa Pacific, Britt Harris (FR/Upland, CA) had two goals in the third while Ashley Taylor (FR/La Crescenta, CA) added her first of the contest in the quarter. Whitney scored three times in the fourth, picking up a hat-trick to cut the lead to 15-8.
APU would get no closer as CBU's Evans, the conference's leading scorer, converted her fourth of the contest to extend the score to 16-8. Castellano punched in her second of the game in the final seconds, and the Lancers took the 17-8 victory.
Cal Baptist now advances to the second semifinal on Friday and will face the No. 1 seed San Diego State at 3:00 pm.