MESA, AZ- The Lions scored three goals in the final six and half minutes of Saturday afternoon's game at Bell Bank Park, winning the match 3-2 and leaving the Park University Gilbert Buccaneers stunned.

The game produced end-to-end action, with the Lions creating multiple scoring opportunities, but the Buccaneers took the lead in the first half's final minutes, scoring at the 41:26-minute mark. They scored again in the 63rd minute of play, bringing the score to 2-0.

However, the Lions remained persistent and stuck to their plan. With time counting down on the clock, Soka pressed, and with six and half minutes remaining, opened the floodgates. Bryan Palpallatoc had his hand in all three of the Lions' goals, setting up two and scoring one. After this afternoon's match, Palpallatoc has generated the second most points on the team with nine so far on the year, behind Luis Barraza, who has 14 total points. Palpallatoc has been a force both offensively and defensively for the Lions. His performance in today's match is a testament to his consistency and stellar play throughout the season.

The Lions' first goal came from a signature Palpallatoc service whipped into the box. Sam Dagg crashed the goal, scoring on a diving header to put his side on the scoreboard at the 84:06-minute mark.

A little over a minute later, the Lions earned a free kick from 25-yards out. Palpallatoc confidently stepped to the ball and bent his shot around the Buccaneers' wall, placing it with precision into the upper 90 to level the score.

With the final seconds counting down, Ivan Acosta laid his pass off to Palpallatoc on the right touchline just outside the 18-yard box. Palpallatoc drove a deep cross towards the back post and connected with Luis Barraza. Barraza collected the ball out of the air and sent his pass back across the mouth of the goal to Josh Lee. Lee timed his run perfectly and headed home the game-winner, stopping the clock countdown at 89:52 and ultimately, giving Soka their fourth Cal Pac Conference win of the season.

"We are most proud of how the team never gave up," said Head Coach Shawn Beyer. "We were creating opportunities from the beginning of the match but with no breakthrough. There was no option but to keep going with the idea that it would open the door for the next when we got the first goal. We finally got the goal we needed late in the second half, and the second goal came soon after. For us to get the third goal and game-winner with just seconds left on the clock was simply incredible! We couldn't be happier for the group. They play such a great brand of football week in and week out. We can compete with any team in the league if we convert our chances. Full credit to the team for their hard work since the first day of preseason. They will have this game to remember for a very long time. We look forward to our final home game and Senior Day match next Saturday."

The Lions will return to the Lions' Den for their final home match of the regular season on Saturday, October 29, 2022. They will honor their four seniors, Josh Lee, Chase Buchert, Jesus Cabrera, and Mikey Venezia, for Senior Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.


 
Game Notes: The Lions are now 4-9-3 overall and 4-6-1 in Cal Pac Conference play… Soka put five shots on frame while Park University only put two shots on goal… Josh Lee scored his third of the season, as did Sam Dagg… both now have seven total points on the year, putting them tied for third in points on the team… yellow cards were shown to the Buccaneers' Andrew Gomez and Soka's Palpallatoc and Dagg.