LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's women's soccer team put on quite a show in its 2024 season opener Thursday night at University Stadium.

The Golden Eagles scored four goals - two in each half - to beat Westmont, 4-2, in an entertaining matchup between California Collegiate Athletic Association and PacWest Conference teams.

Syra Valdez, Delia Bocanegra, Liliana Gonzalez and Reyna Roman did the scoring honors for the Golden Eagles, who scored four goals in a game for the first time since Sept. 29, 2023. Shelby Melin had a pair of assists, including one on a beautiful corner kick that Gonzalez headed brilliantly into the net in the 60th minute to give Cal State LA a 3-1 lead.

After Westmont got a penalty kick goal by Ande Siegel in the 77th minute to make it 3-2, Roman restored the two-goal lead with a one-touch goal off a nifty pass from Itzel Carbajal in the 79th minute.

The game featured a lot of back-and-forth action with both teams putting the opposing defense under duress. All-American goalkeeper Taesja Paopao picked up her 10th victory since joining the program. She allowed two goals, but one was a perfectly-placed shot from distance by Amarys Machedo just inside the post in the first half and the second-half penalty shot that she just missed getting a hand on. She wasn't credited with a save, but came out of her crease on several occasions to clear dangerous attempts.

Westmont played a pair of goalies, each for one half. Maya Pablos got the start and made three saves, while Ellie Ludwig played the second half for the Warriors.

Cal State LA had a 10-8 advantage in shots and a 3-2 advantage in corner kicks.

The Golden Eagles defended well in the first few minutes of the game and took the lead with a quick counter. Melin lofted a deep ball to an onrushing Valdez, who was able to tap the ball just before it reached the goalkeeper and into the net for the first goal of her Cal State LA career.

The Warriors tied it up with a beautiful shot by Machado, who received a pass from Ruby Stimer in the middle of the field and drilled a shot just inside the left post in the 33rd minute.

Bocanegra, though, regained the lead for the Golden Eagles in the final minute of the first half when she ran onto a ball from Giselle Uribe and flipped into an open net from an angle for the second goal of her Cal State LA career.

Gonzalez made it 3-1 with a goal off a perfectly-placed corner kick from Melin, soaring above a crowd to head it just under the crossbar for the 15th goal of her Cal State LA career. It also stood up as the game-winning goal, the 12th of her Cal State LA career.

After Siegel's penalty kick made it 3-2, Roman was able to shoot off a pass from Carbajal for the Golden Eagles' fourth goal. Carbajal did some fancy footwork to get open and send the dangerous pass into the box.

Cal State LA will return to action on Saturday with a home game against Hawaii-Hilo at 7 p.m.