Box Score

LOS ANGELES -- Cal State L.A.'s women's soccer team scored early and late Saturday to post its first-ever NCAA Division II playoff victory.

The Golden Eagles got goals from Janet Mendez and Lisa Ohberg and upended Seattle Pacific, 2-1, Saturday at Jesse Owens Stadium. Cal State L.A. (13-4-3) advances to the West Region championship game where the Golden Eagles will face the winner of Sunday's UC San Diego-Chico State match.

Cal State L.A., the No. 2 seed, are advancing to the NCAA West Regional championship match for the second time in the program's history, but the victory on Saturday was technically the first NCAA win for the Golden Eagles. Cal State L.A. advanced through two rounds in 2007 on penalty kicks after 0-0 ties against Chico State and Seattle University.

This time, the Golden Eagles avoided extra time thanks to Ohberg's game-winner in the 80th minute.

Seattle Pacific (17-3) entered the tournament seeded third in the region and was ranked No. 5 in the country by the NSCAA. The Falcons, who won a national championship in 2008, were making their ninth straight playoff appearance.

The Golden Eagles got a goal just 1:22 into the match when Mendez scored her fourth goal of the season. Ayana Younge started the play by winning a ball on the Golden Eagles' side of the field and lofting a deep pass toward the Seattle Pacific goal. Falcon goalkeeper Brooke Yokers came all the way out of the penalty area in an attempt to clear the ball, but her clearance went off an onrushing Mendez, who was able to run down the deflection and sent a left-footed shot inside the far post from just inside the box.

Seattle Pacific tied it in the 29th minute when Megan Lindsay notched her 12th goal of the season. She drilled a shot off a pass from Brandi Hamre from the top of the box that nested in the upper corner of the net.

That's how the score stayed until Ohberg's game-winner. She got a return, one-touch pass from Mendez and placed a shot from inside the box that found the net just inside the far post and eluding a diving Yokers.

Cal State L.A. goalkeeper Jessie Walworth had a sensational match, making four saves and also thrwarting several dangerous crosses from Seattle Pacific players in traffic. She had a spectacular play with about five minutes left that didn't result in a save, but she was able to twice bat away the ball before a Seattle Pacific player could get a shot off. The end result was a corner kick for the Falcons, but it helped preserve the one-goal lead.

The Golden Eagles also got an outstanding defensive play from Justine Telles late in the first half with Seattle Pacific threatening to take the lead. The Falcons' Arden Matro got off a shot that, with Walworth out of the crease, was heading toward the goal, but Telles came sliding in out of nowhere to clear the ball away before it reached the net.

Seattle Pacific had an 11-10 advantage in shots and a 6-4 edge in corner kicks. Yokers made five saves for the Falcons, while Walworth had four saves for the Golden Eagles.