LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's women's soccer team finally seemed to kick things into gear Monday, but it wasn't enough to overcome a slow start against a conference opponent.

The Golden Eagles surrendered a first-half goal and couldn't recover in a 1-0 loss to Cal State San Bernardino at University Stadium. The game between California Collegiate Athletic Association opponents was considered a non-conference matchup on Labor Day.

Cal State LA (0-1-1) had a flurry of chances in the second half, but couldn't get one past Cal State San Bernardino goalie Carly Luna. She made nine saves in the game, including a pair of acrobatic deflections from point-blank attempts. The most dramatic came late in the second half when Cal State LA's Liliana Gonzalez had a glorious chance from in tight that Luna somehow kept out of the net. The rebound came back out and Gonzalez had another strong attempt sail just high and wide.

Cal State LA, after being outshot in the first 30 minutes of the game, wound up with a 20-7 edge in shots, including an 11-1 advantage in the second half. The Golden Eagles had a 7-3 edge in corner kicks.

Cal State LA goalkeeper Areli Reyes made three saves.

The Golden Eagles had plenty of new faces in their 2021 home opener. Seven newcomers were in Monday's starting lineup, including six freshmen.

The lone goal came in the 28th minute when the Golden Eagles were unable to clear a loose ball in the box. In a crowd, Sarah Savella was able to get the ball to Vidalia Abarca and she knocked a shot through traffic into the goal.

Abarca was a major threat for the Coyotes throughout the contest, finishing with a team-high four shots.

Irma Pinzon, who scored Cal State LA's only goal in a 1-1 tie at Concordia on Saturday, had another strong showing on Monday. She had four shots and used her speed to create several second-half opportunities. Pinzon and Gonzalez had four shots each, while Lauren Sanchez, Vivian Viramontes and Thaiz Hernandez had two shots each.

Kaelah Basurto had a point-blank attempt in the second half as well after a beautiful play from Vivian Viramontes. She was able to gain possession in the corner and lofted a cross into the box where Basurto was able to collect the ball and send in a dangerous shot that Luna made a sprawling deflection to keep the game at 1-0.

Cal State LA will return to action on Thursday at Point Loma. The Golden Eagles will play their next six games on the road.