PUC Men’s Soccer Nearly Upsets Westcliff University, Follows Up With Statement Win Against CSU Maritime

By Daniel Morales

Images Courtesy of Abigail Suttan

The Pacific Union College men's soccer team is taking strides in the right direction and making their presence felt in the California Pacific Conference.

On October 5th, the Pioneers (1-1-2) came within minutes of pulling off an impressive upset, battling to a dramatic 3-3 draw against Westcliff University (2-1-1) who were a Top 25 nationally ranked NAIA side during the 2024-25 campaign. PUC led three separate times in the match before Westcliff salvaged a point with an 86th minute equalizer. That momentum carried into their contest on Sunday as PUC notched a gritty 5-2 victory against Cal Maritime after overcoming an early setback. Originally scheduled as a home match, the game was relocated to Maritime's Bodnar Field in Vallejo due to poor field conditions in Angwin, the same issue that led to PUC forfeiting their October 3rd conference match against Stanton University, marking their first official loss of the season.

"It was nice to get the win. We didn't panic after going down early but we can't continue to have slow starts," said head coach Hernan Granados, now in his second year leading the program. "That's the growth we've been working toward, staying composed, sticking to our plan, and trusting each other."

The match couldn't have started more abruptly for PUC, who were caught off guard just a minute into play. A defensive lapse led to an early corner kick which was capitalized by Maritime's Davis Ott who made the Pioneers pay with a powerful strike that went past goalkeeper Narek Tovmasyan, putting the visitors up 1-0 on a Jose Diaz assist. But the Pioneers responded almost immediately. In the 3rd minute, Anchorage Alaska native Franklin Antwi finished off a sharp pass from Miguel Garcia to level the score at 1-1. PUC took control just minutes later in the 9th minute with a well constructed team goal. Beginning deep in their own half, Anthony Arochi connected with Esteban Piedra, who found Marcus Hays in stride. Hays beat two Keelhauler defenders with pace before feeding Domonic Cavin for a composed finish, giving the Pioneers a 2-1 lead.

"With so many injuries our young players are stepping up and providing the team with an extra boost of energy. Piedra and Hays have been key contributors to our progression this season on both sides of the ball." Stated Granados.

Maritime nearly found the equalizer in the 13th minute after a miscue from the PUC backline led to a giveaway, but Tovmasyan recovered quickly and made a fantastic point blank save to deny Jose Diaz. The Keelhauler's persistence paid off in the 30th minute when Diaz would eventually get his goal, this time from the penalty spot, leveling the score at 2-2.

"Going down just kind of showed our resilience, it showed that we are a team that could fight back no matter the circumstances…" said senior captain Edwin Zabala. "Helping the team win in any way is all I do and hitting that winning goal obviously helps my confidence but also helps the team, I'm happy about it and looking forward to more goals."

The Pioneers came out of halftime re-energized and aggressive. Just three minutes into the half, Marcus Hays, a consistent threat throughout the match, was taken down inside the penalty area. Edwin Zabala calmly stepped up and converted the spot kick, reclaiming the lead for PUC at 3-2. In the 58th minute, PUC was awarded another penalty after a shot from Miguel Garcia struck the hand of Maritime defender Noah Anderson. This time, Abraham Najem took responsibility and delivered, extending the lead to 4-2. Just two minutes later, Najem was involved again drawing a foul outside the opposing box. Garcia stepped up to take the free kick and blasted a low, driven strike that sailed past Maritime goalkeeper Anthony Gonzalez to seal the scoring at 5-2 in the 60th minute.

"I think the team is looking good, we are suffering from injuries but we have to have that next man up mentality and so until we're basically out of players we're going to keep grinding, keep working and keep trying to rack up those wins." Said Zabala.

The Pioneers will now shift their focus to their final home game of the season on October 19th when they host Simpson University (0-3-1) in what will be Senior Match Day. Kickoff is scheduled for a 1pm start followed by their women's match at 3pm.