RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Miranda Hald scoured with less than seven minutes left in regulation, breaking a scoreless tie and lifting California Baptist to a 1-0 victory over Loyola University Maryland in the women's soccer opener for both teams.
 
Hald's goal came on the playout of a corner kick for the Lancers. Ari Coronado sent the set piece into the six-yard box toward the far post, but Loyola goalkeeper Sumer Rahe was there to punch it out. Desarae Felix was there, however, to hold it in for California Baptist.
 
Felix's touch went to Valerie Cortez who redirected it toward the middle of the goal and Hald. She one-timed the ball into the middle of the frame at 83:34 for the game's only goal.
 
Loyola had two good chances to tie in the final two minutes of regulation, but both shots were saved by Carissa Christensen who had a clean sheet for the Lancers. Sarah Bayer was one-versus-one with a  defender on the fight side of the box, and she took a low, 12-yard shot that Christensen corralled before Hannah Hoefs had a shot saved by the California Baptist goalkeeper with just over 10 ticks left.
 
Those were two of Christensen's four saves. Rahe had fives saves for the Greyhounds.
  California Baptist tested the Loyola goalkeeper early in the game, taking three shots in the first minute. The Lancers countered to the offensive end after Loyola had an early possession, and Cortez took a hard shot that was saved by Rahe. The rebound came to Hald who had another look, but Rahe saved this one. The third California Baptist shot came off the toe of Jordan Padgett, but it went high.
 
Loyola had a good offensive opportunity in the 11^th minute as two players in the first collegiate games took shots. Bayer had one attempt go off the crossbar, and Ann-Kathrin Wolfram saw two shot attempts blocked before California Baptist cleared the ball from danger.
 
Rahe made three saves in the second half's first 12 minutes to preserve the 0-0 score, first making a stop against Lanai Navarro and later versus Elisa Soderholm in the 54^th minute.
 
Soderholm then had a strong header off a Coronado corner kick two minutes later, but Rahe grabbed it out of the air for Loyola.
 
The Greyhounds looked to generate offense via the counterattack in the 60^th minute as they had a two-on-one opportunity with a Lancers' defender, but a give-and-go pass slipped just wide, and Christensen came off her line to cover it up for California Baptist.
 
Kate Reese had a shot for Loyola in the 65^th minute that was saved by Christensen.
 
The Greyhounds remain in Southern California for their next game, coming back to play against the University of California, Riverside on Sunday, August 19, at 11 a.m. (Pacific)/2 p.m. (Eastern).