ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – The Soka University Lions fell to the Stanton University Elks, 4-1, on Wednesday evening and concluded the week with a loss to the Occidental College Tigers, 5-1. The Lions are now 1-6 overall before heading into Cal Pac play.
 
VS. STANTON UNIVERSITY
Neither side was able to generate dangerous chances in the opening 15 minutes, the best chance by Stanton came off a header that was knocked away by Lions keeper, Elm Pentinat. The Lions had an opportunity to score in the first half on a shot from Adalid Oregon that was blocked by a defender in the box. Stanton countered the Lions efforts and scored in the 26th minute. Stanton would score again at the 36th, 38th, and 50th minutes. Oregon scored for the Lions to avoid the shutout in the 53rd minute of the match.
 
VS. OCCIDENTAL COLLEGE
Occidental jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the opening five minutes. The Lions would take five shots before Adalid Oregon found his chance to score at the 22nd minute. The Tigers would score again in the second half at the 52nd, 65th, and 80th minutes.
 
Up next, the Lions will host La Sierra University to open Cal Pac play on Sunday, September 22. The match will be the 11th time the two programs meet since 2015. The Lions are 2-8 against La Sierra with the last match going to the Lions, 2-1, on October 5th, 2023. The Lions are going into the Cal Pac opener with 21 returners that are familiar with La Sierra from last season, and eight that remember the 2-0 loss from the 2022 season. Aidan Sandoval played an important role in the Lions victory over the Golden Eagles last season while Eric Aparicio made critical saves to keep La Sierra off the board.