PUC Men’s Soccer Clinch Historic Playoff Berth with 4-0 Win Over CSU Maritime

Image Courtesy of Abigail Suttan

By Daniel Morales

The Pacific Union College men's soccer team (2-3-3) capped off its regular season on Friday afternoon defeating CSU Maritime (1-7) 4-0 at Bodnar Field.

The Pioneers, who entered the match hungry to rebound after a tough Southern California road trip where they dropped consecutive matches to Westcliff University and Stanton University, showed grit and patience from start to finish against their North Bay rivals.

From the opening whistle the Pioneers and Keelhaulers battled a strong defensive contest, each team tallying less than three shots before the end of the opening half. It wasn't until the 52nd minute when PUC striker Edwin Zabala opened the scoring via a header finishing a cross from winger Marcus Hays. CSU Maritime battled back with a few dangerous chances of their own, but the Pioneers' defense, anchored by freshmen Jake Boyd and Ezequiel Gomez, held firm under pressure.

With the Keelhaulers desperate to equalize, PUC took advantage of the open spaces left in the home side's defensive end. In the 64th minute Hays slotted home a pass from Zabala to make it 2-0. Just two minutes later striker Emiliano Ascencio fed Esteban Cabrera who with a strong strike to the goalkeepers near post tallied a third goal. Team captain Adrian Denoncourt sealed the scoring in the dying minutes of the contest to make it 4-0.

With the win, Pacific Union College closed the regular season on a good note officially clinching the No. 3 seed in the Cal Pac standings, marking the team's first ever postseason appearance in their NAIA era.

"Maritime played well defensively but our guys were patient and took advantage of the opportunities when we were able to break the back line." said PUC head coach Hernan Granados. "This group has shown incredible heart, we've faced adversity this season both on and off the field, but the guys never stopped working. It was good to finish strong, we have a lot to work on but today we'll enjoy this victory."

The Pioneers now turn their attention to Westcliff University, whom they'll face in the semifinals of the 2025 Cal Pac Soccer Championships on November 9th at Saddleback Stadium in Santa Ana, California. The winner will advance to face either Simpson University or Stanton University at the same venue on November 11th for the conference's automatic bid to the NAIA national championship.