IRVINE, Calif. — The Soka University men's soccer team earned a hard-fought 1–1 draw against Hope International on Thursday at OC Great Park Stadium in the Lions' first Great Southwest Athletic Conference (GSAC) match of the season.
Rudy Garcia gave Soka the lead just 6 minutes into the match, opening the scoring for his first goal of the season. The Lions held that advantage deep into the second half, and it wasn't until the 82nd minute that Hope International's Vianni Martinez was able to level the match on a penalty kick, securing the 1–1 final.
Goalkeeper
Jacob Warren was the story of the match for Soka, turning aside 7 shots to keep the Lions in front for the better part of 90 minutes and preserve the road point. Garcia's early strike and Warren's goalkeeping were enough to hold Hope International, which finished with 14 shots to Soka's 6 and 11 corner kicks to Soka's 5, to a share of the points.
