In 50 years of athletic competition, Point Loma Nazarene has won titles in the Golden State Athletic Conference and PacWest and produced NAIA Hall of Famers, NBA Draft picks and major-league baseball players.
They’ve been both Crusaders and Sea Lions. But never NCAA champions.
Until Saturday.
Emma Thrapp scored with a header off Grace Nelson’s corner kick in the 53rd minute, and PLNU defeated No. 7 Washburn 1-0 in the NCAA Division II championship game held in Matthews, N.C. The Sea Lions (17-3-1) finished their season with five consecutive playoff shutouts to secure the first NCAA championship of any kind in PLNU athletics history. The school fields 11 men’s and women’s teams.
“That’s a really cool feeling …” Thrapp said of winning a national title. “We’re excited to bring (the trophy) home to the people who have supported us all season. That’s the most exciting part of it all.”
Point Loma Nazarene players celrbrate during Saturday’s NCAA Division II championship match.
(Brian Westerholt)
Coach Kristi Kelly called her team “tremendous in all ways.”
Saturday’s win was Point Loma’s 11th in a row since Oct. 16, when the Sea Lions fell 2-1 to Chaminade in Hawaii. During that time, they outscored their opponents 34-3.
“They had a choice to make after our loss in Hawaii,” Kelly said. “Here we are now.”
PLNU team outshot Washburn 14-8 and had eight corner kicks to the Ichabods’ 4.
One of them was PLNU’s championship moment. PLNU set up its corner kick with 27 minutes remaining in the match. Nelson lofted her pass high and long. It crossed in front of Washburn’s goalie and began its descent into a crowd of bodies. Thrapp leapt and bounced the shot in with her head for her fifth goal of the season.
The score set off a wild celebration by the team in green. Thrapp, a junior defender from Temecula, cartwheeled and sprinted to her team’s bench. There, she was met by fellow defender Jensen Shrout, who had left the game earlier with an injury.
“She said all she wanted for Christmas was a national championship,” Thrapp said.
PLNU women’s soccer players pose with the NCAA Division II championship trophy.
(Brian Westerholt)
Goalkeeper Julia Pinnell logged three saves as PLNU ran its postseason opponent scoreless streak to 450 minutes of game time. After earning a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, PLNU shut out Concordia, No. 16 Seattle Pacific, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Florida Tech and, now, Washburn. The Ichabods fell to 21-4-1.
The Sea Lions have allowed just two goals in the last five weeks. Academy of Art punched in a late goal on Nov. 2, and Fresno Pacific punched one in with 2 seconds left in the teams’ Nov. 11 match. Point Loma won both matches, 5-1.
“You don’t get to have that complete package very often,” Kelly said. “Sometimes you’re really good in the back and you don’t allow a lot to reach the back of the net. Sometimes you’re really good up top and your back line is is little weak. Line by line, we took care of business.”
