All it took UC Riverside was an 18-minute stretch in the first half ?” in which it scored all three goals of the game ?” to defeat Sacramento State 3-0 Sunday afternoon at Hornet Soccer Field.

Sac State had the game’s first scoring chance. It came in the third minute when Sophomore midfielder Rebeccah Phillips kicked the ball hard off the crossbar only to have it cleared out by Riverside defenders.

The Highlanders scored their first goal in the ninth minute when junior Linda Allen got free in front of the goal, scoring on an assist from senior Danielle Geiger. The second goal came 12 minutes later when senior forward Renee Scachetti fired one home off of an assist from junior forward Kelly Ferguson. The third and final goal came just six minutes later when Riverside Sophomore forward Jenna Leonti scored on an assist from Scachetti.

Sac State sophomore forward Amanda Gray had numerous chances on the wing in the first half to try and get the Hornets a scoring chance, but every time she crossed the ball there were only Riverside defenders there to retrieve it.

Said Gray, “People didn’t get up enough on offense because (Riverside) kept us on our heels defensively, which made it hard to try and score.”

The Hornets stayed close to the Highlanders in shots in the first half with Riverside taking six shots to Sac State’s five, but the Hornets were unable to get any good shots after the first missed opportunity just three minutes into the game.

Sac State freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Lawrence, who was kicked twice by Riverside players, said that Riverside “just kept running at us and forced us to play defense all game instead of attacking,” and that the Highlanders “caused a lot of confusion.”

Sac State showed confidence in the second half, something that they lacked in the first half, according to coach Katie Poynter.

Said Poynter, “We just played a little scared in the first half and got out of our game.” Poynter said that the missed opportunity at the beginning of the game changed how the rest of the game was played, adding “that goal would have given us a whole different mentality.”

Early in the second half Sac State freshman midfielder Sarah Howard scored a goal that was called back because of a controversial hand-ball called by the referee.

Riverside’s Scachetti was without question the player of the game, scoring one goal and assisting on another.

Sac State out-shot Riverside in the second half five to three and ended the game taking 10 shots to Riverside’s nine.

The loss puts the Hornets at 1-1 on the season. Riverside’s undefeated record improves to 1-0-1 on the season. Riverside tied Nevada 1-1 in Reno on Friday. Sac State’s next game is Friday at Nevada at 6 p.m.