Despite scoring four goals, Westmont men’s soccer fell by a score of 5-4 in double overtime to the Sunbirds of Fresno Pacific on Wednesday in Fresno. Up 2-0 at halftime, Westmont saw its lead vanish with three unanswered goals in the first seven minutes of the second half.
The Warriors rallied on goals by Josh Webb and Isaac Thompkins to gain a 4-3 advantage with. But moments after Thompkins’ goal, the Sunbird’s Paul Islas scored his second goal and forced the game into overtime. Victor Machado finished off the Warriors by scoring on a penalty kick in the one hundred-second minute.
Westmont’s record fell to 2-3 in Golden State Athletic Conference play and 4-5 overall. Fresno Pacific improved to 6-4-1 overall and 2-2-1 in the GSAC.
Hugo Pizano put the Warriors up 1-0 in the eighteenth minute by scoring on a penalty kick. Less than four minutes later, Andrew Schneider was the recipient of a ball cleared by the Sunbirds keeper. Schneider padded the Warrior advantage with a shot into an open goal.
But things began to unravel for the Warriors with the start of the second half. Three minutes into the final frame of regulation, Islas received a through ball from Machado and scored with a shot to the far post. Less than two minutes later, Mihailo Jovanovic tied the game, assisted by Rodrigo Vianna. Within another two minutes, the Sunbirds captured a 3-2 lead when Machado dribbled at Westmont keeper Matt McNab and slotted the ball to the right post.
In the sixty-fifth minute, Webb evened the game at three when he sent a deflection off the keeper into the right side of the net. Thompkin’s goal came in the seventy-second minute when he headed in a cross from Schneider that gave the Warriors a 4-3 lead.
Islas scored one minute and thirty-one seconds later on an unassisted goal to tie the score at four-all. After scoreless soccer in the first overtime period, Machado ended the game by converting a penalty kick.
Fresno Pacific recorded 27 shots compared to 17 by Westmont. The Warriors held a 6-3 advantage in corner kicks.
The Warriors will return to action on Saturday as part of a Homecoming doubleheader against Point Loma Nazarene at Lovik Field. The men’s team will kickoff at 1:00 p.m. followed by the women’s team at 3:30.
