Women's Soccer News: San Diego SeaLions Close Home Season with a Tie

San Diego SeaLions are in the WPSL Playoffs but local San Diego fans will not see their favorite women's soccer team play at home until next year.  A great crowd came out for the SeaLions's last home game and to send the team off to the playoffs with a cheering support.

In a game that meant little in the final standings but much in team history, the San Diego SeaLions played the Los Al Vikings to a 1-1 tie on Saturday night, July 16. The final score may not be long remembered, but the events before and during the game will be.

This was the final home game for long-time San Diego SeaLion goalkeeper Lu Snyder, who will retire at the end of this season. More than just a player, Snyder helped form the SeaLions, one of the original teams in the WPSL. To celebrate, the team gave away glossy photos of Lu Snyder in action, presented her with a bouquet in a pre-game ceremony, and retired her #1 jersey. At the ceremony it was also announced that Snyder had been inducted into the WPSL Hall of Fame, a justly deserved recognition.

The game itself was a hard-fought contest between the playoff-bound SeaLions and the Los Al Vikings, who were fighting to stay out of last place in the division. For much of the first half the SeaLions controlled the tempo of the game, creating several scoring chances but never quite able to put the ball in the net. Vikings goalie Alyssa Congdon was forced to make several difficult saves, and other shots went just wide. It was not until past the halfway mark in the period that the Vikings began to mount any sort of scoring threat, but once they had the tempo they began to press. Finally, in stoppage time, the Viking’s Chelsea Patterson took a feed from Tatiana Cortes and managed to slip the ball past SeaLions’ goalie Lu Snyder for a 1-0 halftime lead.

Lu Synder retired last night at the last home game of the WPSL San Diego SeaLions 2011 season.

Following halftime, both teams came out determined to put the game away. For the first few minutes the Vikings looked as if they might add to their lead, moving deep into SeaLions’ territory on several occasions, only to be turned away by Kaycee Gunion, who replaced Snyder in goal, and a determined defense led by Britnee Chesney and Sarah Devine. Soon the SeaLions began to reassert themselves on the field, forcing the Vikings back on the defensive and creating chances.

Finally, in the 58th minute, Rosie Tantillo fired a rocket that ricocheted off the near post and onto the foot of the oncoming Amanda Collins, who collected the rebound and beat the keeper for the tying goal.

“Rosie had a really nice shot and it hit the post,” said Collins, “and luckily it just popped right back out to where I was so I just knocked it in.” The game would continue to flow back and forth for the remaining thirty-plus minutes, with numerous chances on both sides but no additional scores. Late in the half Lu Snyder returned to the field, this time as a forward.

Afterwards, Coach Jen Lalor-Nielsen and several of the players discussed the game and the upcoming playoffs. Although they were all disappointed in the final score, it was more because of the failure to win in Snyder’s final home game. “We were in it to win it for Lu,” said Coach Lalor-Nielsen. “They showed total team camaraderie out there; they all were fighting for Lu and to give Lu that final goal.” Talking about her tying goal, Amanda Collins said, “I got in and I just worked hard and I really wanted to help out the team and support Lu in this game, her last game.” Collins went on to explain, “She (Snyder) has made a big impact on all of us so it was important that we worked really hard.”

Some of the SeaLions players felt they had perhaps let Snyder and the team down by not scoring a go-ahead goal. “Personally I’m a little disappointed with my performance because I didn’t put one in for our team and for Lu in her last home game,” said midfielder Zaneta “Z” Wyne. “It was a great effort. The intensity of the second half was awesome. The team effort was definitely there. Hopefully in the playoffs I can finish my chances.”

Lu Snyder had nothing but good to say about her teammates, as she signed photos and shirts for fans. “I wish it would have ended better than it did,” Snyder said, “but we fought hard the whole game. We still have that intensity and we want to win every game.” Looking at the crowd of adoring youngsters, mostly girls who play for local clubs, Snyder said, “I love seeing all the kids out there. When I was growing up and their age, I really didn’t have any female soccer players to go and watch and look up to.” Clearly the girls who come to the SeaLions games have a team full of role models.

Looking ahead to the playoffs, which begin the weekend of July 23-24 in Northern California, midfielder Alana Wohlers said, “I believe in this team. We work hard in practice, we work hard on and off the field as a team, and I just know that we’re going to put it away in the playoffs and we’re going to bring the championship home to San Diego.” Z Wyne echoed Wohlers’ thoughts, saying, “I think we have a great chance of taking it all the way to the final four and even winning it. This team has so much confidence right now. We have a great lineup, we have great people coming off the bench and on the field. It’s going to be a show.” A confident Coach Jen Lalor-Nielsen explained, “We don’t care who we play, because we feel that we have a dynamic squad. I still think that the two best teams (in the playoffs) are coming from the Pacific South Region.”

Fans can follow the San Diego SeaLions on Facebook and Twitter and read WPSL playoff reports here on SoccerNation.com.

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The NEW Women's Soccer editorial section is sponsored by the San Diego SeaLions. We deeply appreciate the SeaLions helping to offset the costs associated with this editorial coverage and want to acknowledge their tremendous support of women's soccer.

SeaLions one of the oldest female soccer clubs in the USA. The WPSL is a sixty-plus team national women's soccer league with five conferences and is considered one of the top women's soccer leagues in the world. For more information, please email Amie Becker.