The Westmont men’s soccer team failed to score in its second-straight conference match on Saturday, handing No. 13 Concordia a 1-0 GSAC victory at La Playa Stadium.
“All in all, it was a pretty solid performance, but not a good enough performance to beat a good team,” explained Warriors head coach Dave Wolf, whose side falls to 4-4 overall, 2-2 in conference. “We had one moment where we got out-paced a little bit in the first half and that was the goal, and that was the game.”
Concordia’s Jon Carlson gave the Eagles their 1-0 lead in the 19th minute on an unassisted goal, knocking home a loose ball from 10 yards out in front of the goal.
“We caught them a little bit out of shape and we were lucky enough to capitalize on it,” said first-year Concordia head coach Chris Gould.
The Eagles allowed five goals in a 5-2 loss to Azusa Pacific on Tuesday, so the shutout was a welcome surprise for Gould.
“Right now we’re in a bad patch and we’re struggling,” admitted Wolf, who was forced to juggle his lineup and formation due to key injuries. “I wish it was different from that, but it’s not, and we need to find a way out of it.”
The Warriors actually put more shots on goal in the first half than the Eagles did, but could muster only one in the second half.
Hugo Pizano created the most chances for Westmont, forcing Concordia keeper Mike Radchuk to make four saves on his six shots.
Concordia's goalkeeper Mike Radchuk leaps to control a Westmont corner kick at La Playa Stadium
“Besides the goal, I don’t think either team had many really good opportunities,” commented Gould, whose team outshot Westmont 17-11 in the game and took advantage of a short-handed backline.
Westmont was without the services of starting defenders Dillon Barna and Scott Williams, which caused Wolf to use an unfamiliar, more defensive-minded formation against Concordia, plus forward Daniel Torres.
In the 73rd minute, Wolf ditched the conservative 4-5-1 shape for a more aggresive lineup that featured three forwards. The added pressure resulted in a few late chances for Westmont to tie, but its best opportunity, a Dan Sargent shot off a broken down corner kick, sailed over the cross bar in the 76th minute.
Gould countered with six substitutions over the next 10 minutes, successfully quelling the final Warrior push by making sure his legs were fresh.
Westmont will have a chance to fix its offensive woes on Wednesday when it travels to Fresno Pacific. Point Loma Nazarene visits the Westmont campus and Lovik Field the following Saturday for the Warriors Homecoming game.
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