Calm and collected, forward Andrew Schneider captivated fans Saturday when he scored the game winning goal, as his Westmont Warrior soccer team defeated the visiting Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans 2-1 at UCSB’s Harder Stadium.
The goal, scored in the 70th minute, was the result of an interception and two “perfect” passes, the first from forward Harrison Hill, the second from Daniel Torres, Schneider said. The pass from Torres gave Schneider two to three seconds all alone with the goalie.
“The pressure was intense,” Schneider said.
“He did do a good job,” Warrior coach Dave Wolf said about Schneider’s performance. Wolf said his coaching staff has been working with the speedy forward individually to help him relax when in high pressure situations. “He’s a guy who will get a couple of chances each game just because of his speed,” Wolf said.
“A week ago that ball would’ve been in the 32nd row,” Wolf jokingly said. “Today we got to see the fruits of his labor.”
Schneider also scored Westmont’s first goal, and leads the team with seven points through three games. Schneider showed great humility, however, when he said “I think it was just a great team effort.”
Hawaii Hilo midfielder Timothy Glick opened up the scoring early in the game when his shot just outside the penalty area found its way past Warrior goalie Matthew McNab in the 6th minute. The Vulcans would continue to put a lot of pressure on the Westmont defense until the 20th minute, when Schneider tied it with a shot that redirected off a defenseman from the left corner of the penalty area.
“I just pictured it to go in like that,” Schneider said. “It was a weird moment. I just looked up and saw it go in.”
Schneider’s goal gave Westmont the momentum, as it had some long attacks in the Vulcan end.
Warrior midfielder Hugo Pizano would then get a rise out of the nearly 300 fans when his shot – 30 seconds into the second half – just skimmed off the left post. “It was kind of a rushed shot…it first hit my hand, then it went off the inside of my foot,” Pizano said. “I really thought they would have called the hand ball.”
Westmont’s steady attack led to Schneider’s second goal of the night with only 20 minutes to play. Hawaii-Hilo, coached by local soccer legend Cam Camarena, would never get close to mount a comeback, as signs of fatigue may have been settling in a little, Wolf said.
“I think they had a real tough road trip,” he added.
With Saturday’s loss, the Vulcans ended their four game road trip to California – a trip in which they went 0-4.
“That’s as good of a 0-4 team you’ll ever see,” said Wolf. “Sometimes you have to put the records aside. They don’t always tell you the whole story.”
The Warriors (2-1) will visit CSU San Marcos at 3 p.m. next Saturday. Then they will return home for a game against California Baptist University at 7 p.m. Sept. 26 at SBCC’s La Playa Stadium.
