THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The California Lutheran University men's soccer team advanced to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) championship game after the Kingsmen defeated the Chapman Panthers 3-1 in a semi-final match Wednesday night at William Rolland Stadium.
First Team All-SCIAC honoree Brandon Kearney took the first touch of the game for a 50-yard shot on goal, but the Panthers goalie was there for the stop. In the 13th minute, Danny Pacheco lofted a corner kick into the box, Daniel Aguilar (First Team All-SCIAC) headed it to Joey Arnold, and Arnold headed it into the back of the net for the first goal of the night.
The Panthers quickly evened the score in the 16th minute with a shot from Kai Howe. Chapman's Jonah Tipp landed a free kick in the box that bounced around until Howe fired it past Cal Lutheran goalkeep Eduardo Garcia to put Chapman on the board.
The Kingsmen had two opportunities in a row for a score, but Kearney could not connect with the ball and then Christian Guzman shot it right to the goalie. Neither team could take the upper hand before the end of the first half as the score remained even at the break. In a physical first half, Cal Lutheran was given three yellow cards and Chapman received one.
Kearney had the first shot on goal in the second half, but Chapman's goalkeeper Sean Augustine was there to knock it down. Aguilar broke the silence in the 75th minute, scoring off of a corner from Pacheco to give the Kingsmen a 2-1 lead.
Arnold nearly created some breathing room, but an offside penalty took a goal away. With just over four minutes left, Aguilar sent a through ball to Kearney who scored a breakaway goal after he juked out the keeper and fired it into an open net.
Cal Lutheran won 3-1 with goals from Arnold, Aguilar and Kearney. Garcia had three saves on four shots on goal. Aguilar added two assists on the night and Pacheco had one.
The game saw 41 total fouls with 24 from Cal Lutheran and 17 from Chapman. Six yellow cards were given in all.
The Kingsmen continue their post-season run in Redlands, Calif., as they take on the Redlands Bulldogs Saturday at 4 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 3, CU 1
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director / Makenna Pellerin (Sports Information Intern)
