ALISO VIEJO, CA- The Soka University Lions were unable to push past the (RV) Hope International University Royals, falling 4-2 on Saturday evening at the Lions' Den Soccer Stadium.

The two sides played to a scoreless first half, and it wasn't until the 50^th minute that Hope International's Pressley Honeycutt put her side on the scoreboard. The Royal's Keyla Fragoso would then go on to tally a hat trick against the Lions, scoring in the 58^th, 64^th, and 89^th minutes.

Soka's Araceli Soto-Garcia cheekily chipped in her first goal of the 2022 season in the 73^rd minute. Soto-Garcia's goal stemmed from a threaded pass from Ashley Aranda from the right side of the field.

Three minutes later, Mallorie Barteua netted her second goal of the season after placing her free kick perfectly into the upper back corner of the Royals' goals.

Soka's Kamry Aragon led the Lions with three shots, and Mackenzie Stenstrom made nine saves on the day.

"I am incredibly proud of the game we played," said Head Coach Wendy Espejel. "In the first half, we were able to go out, execute a game plan, and get into halftime 0-0. Hope came out and gave us a different look second half, and I am most proud of the team's ability to adjust into a new shape and the character shown to fight our way back into the game." 

Next, the Lions travel to Northwest University on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m.


 
Game Notes:  Hope International University outshot Soka 28-9… the Royals found frame 13 times while the Lions produced four shots on goal… Soka is now 0-2-1 on the season.