Oakland started the first leg of a doubleheader with Soul on their front foot, commanding time of possession in the opening minutes and keeping the game hemmed into the Academica defensive third.
But far against the run of play, a two-on-one opportunity for Academica earned them their first shot of the half — and the first goal of the game — in the 14th minute courtesy of Isabella Cruz.
The Academica goal gave their side a spark, and the rest of the first half looked much more even. But Soul didn’t shy away from taking chances on goal, ending the first frame having earned ten corner kicks.
The second half of play looked much the same as the first ended, with both sides playing hard and looking evenly matched — but this wouldn’t last long, as Soul would soon take control of the game.
Oakland earned their first of the match in the 57th minute, when Jordan Geis received a long ball from the defensive half and took a shot from the left side of the box that ricocheted off the far post and in to even the score up at 1-1.
In the 69th minute it would be Geis again to put Soul up 2-1 — and she wasn’t done yet.
In a hurry, Soul put the game to bed, scoring goals in the 74th, 76th, and 77th minutes to go up 5-1 with the scoring coming from Tatiana Cunningham, Katie O’Kane and Geis, respectively, earning Geis a hat trick in front of a boisterous home crowd.
As if three goals wasn’t enough, Geis wanted more, capping things off with her fourth of the night in the 90th minute on a tap in after Kaytlin Brinkman chipped it to her on the far post over the Academica keeper.
Academica would score a consolation goal in added time, one again from Cruz, but it was far too little far too late, as Oakland reached the final whistle up 6-2 to remain undefeated at home through the team’s history.
Soul will be back at home for their next match on the campus of Merritt College in Oakland on June 13th when they face California Storm. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m PT.
Oakland Soul SC vs Academica SC
USL W League | June 8, 2024
Venue: Pioneer Stadium, Hayward, California
Kickoff: 4:00 PM PT
Weather: 68°F, Sunny
SCORELINE:
OAK: 6
ASC: 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
ASC: Isabella Cruz 14’
OAK: Jordan Geis 57’
OAK: Jordan Geis 69’
OAK: Tatiana Cunningham 74’
OAK: Katie O’Kane 76’
OAK: Jordan Geis 77′
OAK: Jordan Geis 90’
ASC: Isabell Cruz 90’+
OAKLAND SOUL LINEUP: Bella Mendoza (Cassia Souza), Kyah Coady (Rebecca Sherry), Alice Barbieri, Arianna Veland (Vickie Jones), Lauren Frohan (Clare Robke), Henar Urteaga, Sarah Mirr (Tatiana Cunningham), Jordan Geis, Katie O’Kane, Sam Tran (Kaytlin Brinkman), Shae Murison (Ceci Gee)