RIVERSIDE, CA- The Soka University Lions defeated the La Sierra University Golden Eagles 2-1 on Thursday evening at the La Sierra University Turf to secure their sixth Cal Pac Conference win of the season.

The Golden Eagles were the first to get on the scoreboard 25 minutes into play after the match took a turn, which forced the Lions to play with ten players for the remainder of the game.

However, Soka stuck to their plan, remained relentless, and tallied the equalizer with five minutes remaining in the first half. The goal stemmed from a crafty run by Rudy Garcia, who beat multiple Golden Eagles defenders on the dribble. Garcia then took a shot that was blocked by La Sierra's goalkeeper,  who put the ball back into the mix. Framing the goal was Soka's Aidan Sandoval, who maintained his composure and placed his shot perfectly over the opposition to level the score.

With the second half providing end-to-end action, the Lions found themselves with a set piece ten yards outside the box. Soka's free-kick specialist, Bryan Palpallatoc, stepped to the ball. With precision, Palpallatoc bent his shot around the defensive wall, finished his shot high and into the upper 90 for the go-ahead goal, and secured his team's 2-1 victory.
 
"This game will be remembered for a very long time," said Head Coach Shawn Beyer. "In my time at Soka, this result goes down as one of the best. They found a way to come from behind while playing a man down for over 70 minutes. The team kept their composure and continued to attack. This team has shown they are capable of playing to a really good standard—full credit for overcoming the odds in this difficult away match. We couldn't be more excited for the group and are so pleased with the recent run of games. Now, they need to recover quickly for another big test on Saturday at Westcliff."
 
Next, the Lions will travel to Irvine, California, to face the Westcliff University Warriors. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. at the OC Great Park Field #11.


 
NOTES: The Lions are now 7-3-1 overall and 6-1-0 in Cal Pac Conference play… Soka took five shots on the game… The Lions' Eric Aparicio and Bernardo Atalla combined for eight saves on the day.