VALLEJO, CA- The Soka University Lions defeated the Keelhaulers of Cal Maritime 6-1 Thursday night in their California Pacific Conference opener at Bodnar Field in Vallejo, CA.

Soka's Yauri De Groot put the Lions on the scoreboard twelve minutes into the match off of a deep service from Hunter Stewart. Stewart's service was placed behind the Keelhaulers' backline, and De Groot collected the pass over his shoulder, while in stride. He took his first touch away from goal, and whipped his half-chance shot low, and into the back post for the early 1-0 lead.

With three minutes left before halftime, Glen McKay connected with Leonardo Ortiz in the attacking third, and Ortiz converted his chance inside box. He blasted his shot into the net, giving the Soka the 2-0 lead at halftime.

Seven Minutes into the second period, Gerardo De La Torre bent a dangerous set piece into the mix, and Stewart soared over the Keelhaulers' defense to get his head on the ball. Stewart redirected his header toward the back post, and his shot ricocheted off the bottom of the cross bar, and bounced over the goal line for Soka's third goal of the night.

The Keelhaulers' answered back two minutes later, after Ezra Dickens converted his chance off of a deflection from Soka's defense, cutting the Lions' lead by one.

In the 56^th minute, Soka was awarded a penalty kick, and Stewart, Soka's PK specialist, stepped up to the spot. He placed his shot into the corner, and gave the Lions the 4-1 advantage with thirty-eight minutes left on the clock.

With little under ten minutes left in the match, De Groot connected his cross to De La Torre, who buried his chance in the 83^rd minute, which was quickly followed by a combination between Johannes Hielscher and Masahiro Otsuka. Otsuka scored the Lions' final goal in the 87^th minute to close out the match with a final score of 6-1.

"We're very happy to get our first Cal Pac win of the season," said head coach Ian Eggleston. "Cal Maritime have added a lot of new players to their squad, and were definitely in the game a lot more than the score suggests. It was a good back and forth match during the first half, with both teams creating a few decent opportunities. We took control of the game in the second half, and were able to put away a few more of our chances. We continue to be dangerous going forward quickly, and I thought our wide play was fantastic at times. The guys are really starting to come together more and more, and are able to anticipate each other's movement off the ball a bit quicker. We still have a lot of work to do to get where we want to be, but the team culture has been superb, and we're constantly trying to add layers to our game, and see how much we can keep improving."

The Lions continue their Cal Pac Conference play on the road, and travel to Reno, NV, to face the Eagles of Sierra Nevada on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
 
 


 
Notes: This is the sixth meeting between the Lions and the Keelhaulers… Soka is now 6-0 against Cal Maritime… Soka's Maxwel Barainca made eight saves on the day… The Lions outshot the Keelhaulers 17-11… De Groot leads the Lions with 8 goals so far this season and 6 assists for a total of 22 points… De La Torre is second with 7 goals and 5 assists for a total of 19 points… and after Stewart's dynamic performance against the Keelhaulers, he is now third with 5 goals, 1 assist and 11 points.