(HILO, Hawaii) Westmont Men’s Soccer (5-6-5, 3-1-2) took the lead twice, but Hawai’i Hilo (4-5-3, 1-2-3) found the equalizer each time as the Warriors and Vulcans settled for a 2-2 tie on the Big Island. The Warriors concluded their three-game Hawaiian tour having gone 2-0-1.
“Overall, I’m very proud of the guys to come to Hawaii and get seven points,” said Westmont’s head coach Morgan Cathey. “I think today we were unlucky not to get another win, but hats off to Hilo who made it really difficult. They were in a situation where they had to win.”
The Warriors scored in the 16th minute to take a 1-0 lead off the foot of Cooper Matthews. Leonel Olivo-Ortiz chased down a ball just inside the penalty box and slotted it along the ground to Matthews at the top of the box. Matthews, who was just to the right of the D, planted his left foot, then fired a shot with his right into the left-side netting.
“I thought we started the game really well and I thought we scored a really good goal,” assessed Cathey. “From there, we settled into the game and played well and controlled the game into the start of the second half. I thought we played outstanding.”
The Warriors’ advantage held up for 45 minutes before the first equalizer was scored.
“In transition moments in the first half, we’d pick up the ball and create a lot of really good opportunities,” noted Cathey. “However, I think that was the difference in the game. We didn’t capitalize and score first in the second half. I think if we would have, and had been up 2-0, then the game would have been much different. Goals change games.
“We missed a couple of chances at the start of the second half to put the game away. That’s soccer. If we don’t finish our chances, then the game can punish us.”
In the 61st minute, Kristijan Bandur took a pass in the middle of the pitch, 40 yards from the goal. He used a high kick to nudge the ball forward to Kanilau Tolentino-Perry, who quickly tapped it to his left as he faced away from the goal. The ball was left for Jordi Pineda who touched it forward, then fired a line drive with his right foot into the center of the goal.
“Their goal against the run of play was the first shot on goal for them,” said Cathey. “It took a deflection and there was a bad moment for us in tracking. That made it 1-1 and they had a lot of life and belief after that.”
Westmont went up 2-1 in the 72nd minute on a header from Luis Cortes. Julius Oehmichen dribbled a ball into the top left corner of the penalty area, then passed it out of the box. From just outside the corner, Tiago Aranibar chipped a cross toward the mouth of the goal where Cortes was waiting. From seven yards out, Cortes leapt and headed the ball into the right-hand crease.
“The second goal was so well worked from us down the side,” observed Cathey. “Then Luis got in front of his marker and put such a good header away. I’m proud of our guys to go and score again, but obviously we needed to focus on the set play that ended up undoing us. We needed to be much better in that moment defending our box.”
The second equalizer of the game came in the 79th minute. Kalen Toguchi threw a ball in from the left-hand touchline, about 30 yards from the goal line. The toss connected with Jakob Santiago inside the 18-yard box.
Santiago headed the ball to the top of the six-yard box on the right side. That’s where it found Duku Yoke, who headed the ball in a high arc into the left-side netting.
The two teams battled for another 11:35, but neither was able to score.
“Obviously, Cooper was great for us. In our front line, I thought Joey was fantastic throughout the whole game,” said Cathey. “Our backline defended well throughout the first half and didn’t give Hilo many clear chances.”
With three regular season conference games to play, Westmont is currently in third place in the PacWest standings. At the end of the season, the top four teams advance to the PacWest Tournament.
Vanguard (5-6-2, 4-1-1) sits atop the ladder with 13 points. Point Loma (7-3-3, 4-1) is in second with 12 points, a single point ahead of Westmont with 11. Biola (4-6-3, 3-1-1) is in fourth place with 10 points.
Dominican (3-4-4, 2-1-1) and Hawai’i Pacific (4-5-3, 2-2-1) each have seven points and are tied for fifth. However, Dominican has only played four conference games and has five more opportunities to accumulate points. Concordia (6-6-1, 2-3) and Hilo are tied for seventh place with six points each and are very much still in the mix.
On Friday, October 23, the Warriors will continue their season with their fifth road game in a row by heading to La Mirada to take on the Eagles of Biola. Kick-off is set for 7:00 p.m.
“Looking forward, today’s draw means that the next three conference games are super important for us,” reflected Cathey. “If we had gotten the win today, then the conference would be a little bit more in our control. Now, we have to go and get two results.
“We feel like we have to get six points in the next three conference games. We will be gearing up for Biola and we are looking forward to the test on Friday night.”