Goalkeeper Josh Glover and the Westmont defense earned their second shutout on the season with the triumph, blanking Vanguard in the GSAC men’s soccer opener on Wednesday.
Midfielder Rick McCarthy and defender Patrick Wynne scored their first goals to lead the Warriors.
“The story of the night for us was really our depth,” Westmont coach Dave Wolf said. “A lot of our regulars were unavailable tonight so we had some guys who haven’t played much this year play some important minutes for us.
“Pat Wynne is the best example of that. He replaced Muhammed (Mehai) in the center of the defense. Not only did he play superbly, he also scored a goal. He and Marcos were a fantastic tandem. He wasn’t the only one, but I think his performance really exemplified what the game was really about for our team.”
After a quiet first half that produced only four shot attempts per team, the Warriors sprung to life, with midfielder Sean Siemens serving as the catalyst.
In the 55th minute of play, Siemens dispatched a cross from the left-hand side of the field that would reach McCarthy just in time as he bolted in from the right to project a header into the upper-right corner of the net for his first goal since August 26, 2010.
McCarthy missed all of last season and most of the 2011 season with two consecutive torn anterior cruciate ligaments in his right knee.
“That was definitely the other big moment,” exclaimed Wolf, referencing McCarthy’s goal. “Obviously, for as hard as he’s worked, and for as much of a journey as that young man has been on – let’s just say that there was an eruption of emotion from him when he headed that ball in. That was just a very sweet moment for our whole program. I couldn’t be happier for him and for the guys who haven’t played that much this year and came up big for us tonight.”
