ALISO VIEJO, CA-  The Soka University Lions fell to the Royals of Hope University 3-0 on Saturday evening at the Lions' Den Soccer Stadium.

The Royals' Dario Robles netter two first-half goals to give his side an early 2-0 lead. Robles' first goal came in the 18^th minute after receiving a through pass from his teammate Miguel Flores. Robles slotted his shot low and into the left corner to convert his chance. Robles struck again seven minutes later after dispossessing the Lions at the top of the 18-yard box and placing his shot low and into the back of the net.

Soka strung together numerous dangerous possessions throughout the match, several consisting of Alex Tavarez creatively combining with his teammates in the middle and attacking thirds to cause havoc for the Royals' defense. Chase Buchert, Josh Lee, and Luis Barraza also created scoring opportunities for the Lions, but Soka was unable to capitalize on their chances.

In the 87^th minute of play, Hope International's Arturo Gutierrez tallied the Royals' third and final goal after bending his shot low and into the left corner of the Lions' goal to give his side the 3-0 victory.  

"We are really proud of the teams' efforts tonight," said Head Coach Shawn Beyer. "To finish four games in 10 days against a tough Hope team was asking a lot, but they gave everything. The second-half was particularly sharp and probably deserved a goal or two to show for it.  We are very much looking forward to our upcoming trip to Portland and then to begin our Cal Pac Conference play."

Next, the Lions will travel to Corban University (Ore.) for their match on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m.


 
Game Notes: The Royals outshot the Lions 12-10… Soka's Eric Aparicio made three saves on the day… a yellow card was shown to Soka's Chase Buchert.