FULLERTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton got a goal from Nano Oronoz but it was not enough as the Titans fell to No. 25 Loyola Marymount, 2-1, in an exhibition game Friday night at Titan Stadium.
The Titans outshot the Lions 12-11 including a 6-3 edge in shots on target but the Lions came away with the victory thanks to a pair of goals from junior Maddie Medved.
Jennifer Stuart played the first half in net for Fullerton and tallied one save. She allowed Medved's first goal while Morgan Bertsch played the second half and allowed one goal as well. Charlie Pruitt logged 68-plus minutes in net for the Lions and made four saves, allowing one goal. Sophia Leksan relieved Pruitt in the 69th minute and finished the game. She did not face a shot on target.
The Lions took a 1-0 lead in the 42nd minute as Medved found the back of the net on a free kick from 25 yards away, straightaway. Medved bent a left-footed strike to the upper right corder past a leaping Jennifer Stuart.
The Titans responded just three minutes later as Oronoz took a pass from Johana Rosas in the box and then shot the ball into the lower left corner to even the score at 1-1.
The score remained tied until the 81st minute when LMU took the lead for good as Medved netted her second of the night, pouncing on a loose ball inside the box and near the left post. Bertsch had come out to play the ball but it found its way onto Medved's left foot and she shot it off a Titans defender at the goal-line and into the net to give the Lions the lead for good.
Both teams got the majority of their roster into Friday night's exhibition as the Titans trotted out 23 players overall for the game while the Lions had 20 players log minutes in the victory.
The Lions had their best year in program history in 2015, going 15-6-1 in 2015 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. They set new program records in wins (15), conference wins (7), and conference standing (tied for 2nd). The Lions recorded their first ever postseason victories last year, defeating Cal in the first round and blanking Minnesota in the second round before getting eliminated by West Virginia. They were ranked No. 25 in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America preseason top-25 poll and were picked to finish fourth in a West Coast Conference that features two other teams ranked in the NSCAA top-25.
Fullerton opens the 2016 regular season on Friday, Aug. 19 against Saint Mary's at Titan Stadium. Kick-off is set for 7 p.m.