(HONOLULU) A lone goal in the 60th minute was all Westmont Men’s Soccer (5-6-4, 3-1-1 PacWest) needed to claim a 1-0 win over Chaminade (0-11-1, 0-5-1) on Monday afternoon in Oahu.

“You could look at Chaminade’s record and you assume a story,” said Westmont head coach Morgan Cathey. “Then you play them in only their second home game of the season, on a windy day and with the sun so hot. They are so committed and they work so hard. The field is so difficult to play on and is only 64 yards wide, which is the narrowest field we play on.

“People look at the record and say, ‘You should win the game.’ It’s never that easy and this game was so challenging. Last year we lost here. We knew the danger that Chaminade poses – I think they have 10 Division I transfers. They have the ability to break you down in different ways.

“So, I was so proud of our guys to come out in the elements and play the way we did. We created some really good chances in the beginning of the game and none of them fell for us. We had scored in the last game on a set play and then in this game the difference was a set play. That’s an area of the game that we’ve tried to improve upon and be multifaceted in how we can create threats at the goal.

“I thought today we should have actually created even more from our set play opportunities. Regardless, I was just so happy with our commitment all the way to the end, and proud of the guys for what they did to earn all three points.”

The goal came after Andrew Martinez threw in the ball from the right touchline, about 17 yards from the goal line. Martinez threw the ball to the near post where it was contested by Donovan Espino and Chaminade goalkeeper Jonah Valmonte.

The ball went up in the air and behind the keeper. Leonel Olivo Ortiz leapt sideways, contacting the ball with his right foot and propelling it into the net.

It was Olivo Ortiz’ third goal in the last four games. He has scored a goal in each of the last three conference games.

“Logan Race, Barret Goodman, Kristian Johnson and Thiago Aranibar do a great job to attract pressure and defenders,” noted Cathey. “We can vary how we threaten the goal and on that one we didn’t put the ball all the way in towards where the goalkeeper could challenge. We put it more towards the mix at the front post and that really helped us.

“Leo struggled in the first few games to find his rhythm. We were playing him out wide and then we moved him more to the central role starting with the game at Vanguard. He’s so good at pressing the opponent; he’s just relentless. He’s also opportunistic.”

The shutout was the second in a row for the Warriors and the third conference shutout in a row. Junior Tanner Shum, a native of Hawaii, got the start for the Warriors, recording two saves to earn his first career shutout.

“Tanner had his whole family here and it was great to see him grow through the game,” said Cathey. “He played awesome. I’m really proud of him. He’s earned the right to be able to play.”

With the win, Westmont is now in a three-way tie for second place in the PacWest standings. Biola, Vanguard and Westmont all have 10 points with identical 3-1-1 records. Point Loma is in first place with 12 points and a record of 4-1.

Hawai’i Pacific is in fifth place with seven points and a record of 2-2-1. Concordia, which has played one less game, sits in sixth place with six points and a record of 2-2.

With the exception of Concordia, each of those teams has four remaining conference games. Westmont will stay in the Aloha State but fly to the Big Island to take on Hawai’i Hilo (4-5-2, 1-2-2) on Thursday, October 15.

Then on Friday, October 23, the Warriors will travel to La Mirada to take on the Eagles of Biola. The final week of October, Westmont will host Concordia on Wednesday, October 28 and Point Loma on Saturday, October 31.

“We know that we have the most challenging schedule in the PacWest with the least amount of rest in between games,” said Cathey. “Part of that is the non-conference games we added, but also we have the second most challenging schedule when it comes to playing rested teams. “So, all the odds are against us. To play three games in six days in Hawaii, and now have to play Hilo after they’ve been rested, is a huge challenge.

“We don’t care at all about that. We know what we have to do and there are zero excuses in our team. I think our guys have been so mature. They’ve grown so much to be young men that are really focused. I think we’re at a really good spot going forward and I think we’re excited for Hilo.

“I’m also proud of our leadership group and proud of our coaching staff that has been unbelievable. Our coaching staff, through all that that we’ve been through this season, has been absolutely superb. I think our coaching staff – even the guys that are at home – what they’re doing to help us prepare for each game has been unbelievable. We have an army behind every result and that army is unbelievable.”