ALISO VIEJO, CA- Seven different Lions scored for a combined 12 goals in this afternoon's record-breaking match against Multnomah University, as Soka generated the most goals ever scored in a single game since the program's inception in 2008.

Sophomore Gerardo De La Torre and senior Yauri De Groot each produced hat tricks on the day, while JC Sitchon finished two goals, and senior Leonardo Ortiz, junior Masahiro Otsuka, sophomore's Glen McKay and Harry Gilmer, and first-year Jesus Cabrera each scored one goal apiece.   

De La Torre put the Lions on the scoreboard 41 seconds into the match after finishing his chance first-time off of a perfectly placed ball over the top of the defensive line by senior center defender Hunter Stewart.

Less than two minutes later, De Groot notched his first goal after Otsuka dribbled the ball to the byline and pulled his cross back second-six towards the penalty spot. De Groot collected the ball to his left, and slotted his shot back post for the Lions' second goal of the match.

Just before the six minute mark De La Torre struck again, this time after combining for a wall pass with Cabrera on the right flank. De La Torre placed his shot low and into the back post, bringing the score to 3-0.

Cabrera netted his first career goal in the twelfth minute, after he found himself on the end of a rebounded slide tackle by Multnomah's center back. Cabrera slid in towards the ball and got his foot on the end of it, slipping his shot past Multnomah's goal keeper for the Lions' fourth goal.

De Groot scored his second goal after a driven service into the box from senior Aidan Gross was flicked by Ortiz to De Groot. De Groot redirected his header into the back post in the 39^th minute.

Three minutes later, McKay found himself free with the ball at his feet at the top of the 18-yard box. He capitalized on the chance, and blasted his shot high and into the upper-90, giving Soka the 6-0 lead at the end of the first half.

De La Torre (60:57) and De Groot (69:29) both scored one more goal each on the day, while JC Sitchon scored his first of two goals in the 78^th minute when he got his foot on the ball after a scramble inside of the box.

Gilmer scored the Lions' tenth goal off of a brilliantly served corner kick bent away from the six-yard box by McKay in the 82^nd minute. Gilmer soared above the opposition and re-directed his header into the back post for his first career goal for the Lions.

De Groot had his hand in the Soka's final two goals of the match, after he deceptively slipped a pass through two defenders and connected with Ortiz on the six-yard line. Ortiz poked his shot past the keeper for his first goal of the 2019 season in the 86^th minute. In the 89^th minute, De Groot connected with Otsuka down the left flank. Otsuka crossed the ball low and across the mouth of the goal to Sitchon. Sitchon finished his chance first-time just before the final buzzer concluded the game bringing the final score to 12-0.    

"We're really proud of our guys and their performance today," said Head Coach Ian Eggleston. "I thought they took care of everything that we asked of them before the match. I have a great amount of respect for Multnomah's coach Dalon and his program, and know it wasn't an easy trip down to CA for them, as they weren't able to bring their entire squad. I thought that Multnomah handled themselves with class for 90 minutes, and we wish them nothing but success for the rest of their season. It's always nice to get a win, a clean sheet, and to be able to have all our players get playing time. Now, we have a week on the training field to get ready for some really tough upcoming games.  There's a long way to go in our season, and there will be plenty of twists and turns to come, but we're excited to keep building on the work we've all done so far."
Up next, the Soka Lions will host the Occidental College Tigers on Sunday Sept. 1, 2019. Kickoff is set for 7pm.
 





NOTES: This is the second meeting between Soka and Multnomah… the two sides faced each other for the first time last season on Aug. 25 where Soka fell to Multnomah 2-0… Soka's Yauri De Groot now leads the Lions with 10 points, while Gerardo De La Torre is close behind with nine points in two games… This is the first time since 2014 that the Soka Lions have won back-to-back matches in their first two games of the season… This is the first time the Lions have ever scored 12 goals in a single game, prior to today's match the most goals ever scored was 10 against University Saint Katherine on Aug. 26, 2017… This was De La Torre's first career hat trick for the Lions and De Groot's second career hat trick… De Groot and De La Torre join an elite group of five other Soka Lions (Akira Takahata, Bryce Arenson, Jaroslav Zapletal, Alexander Whyte, and Johannes Heilscher) who have scored three or more goals in a single game… The Lions outshot Multnomah 50-1… Soka's Riley Grosso made one save on the day.