Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- The No. 25 Portland Pilots got second-half goals from Jarad vanSchaik and Ryan Kawulok, but the Loyola Marymount Lions were able to hold on for a nerve-racking 3-2 victory in a West Coast Conference men’s soccer game at Sullivan Field on Sunday. The Lions had taken a 3-0 lead into the half-time locker room.
The Pilots nearly found the equalizer twice in the closing minutes, but freshman Steven Evans hit the post and sophomore Ben Hemphill headed one just high of the cross bar.
It’s the first conference loss of the season for Portland, which is now 5-2-4 overall and 2-1-1 in the WCC. LMU remains perfect in the WCC with a 4-0-0 league mark, while moving to 8-3-1 overall.
vanSchaik, a senior, struck first for Portland with his third goal of the fall. On a cross from sophomore Hemphill, vanSchaik beat LMU keeper Jack McCormack with a header in the 65th minute, pulling the Pilots within 3-1.
Kawulok, a junior defender, then made it a one-goal difference when he found the back of the net in the 74th minute. Sophomore Colin Anderson set up Kawulok with a free kick from about 22 yards out. It’s the second goal this season for Kawulok and the first assist for Anderson.
But the Lions were able to hold on despite Portland’s constant pressure during the game’s second 45 minutes. The Pilots have now scored 14 of their 17 goals this season during the second half.
LMU had taken an early lead with a pair of goals during the game’s first 17 minutes. In the 11th minute, David Ponce scored his first goal of the season when he finished on a corner kick from Logan McDaniel.
The Lions then claimed a 2-0 advantage only six minutes later on a strike from Artur Jozkowicz. LMU strung some passes together before Christian Alvarado sent a cross into the box from the right wing. Jozkowicz finished for his sixth goal of the fall.
LMU then took a formidable 3-nil lead with a goal five minutes before halftime. Connor Hunsicker worked his way into a 1-v-1 opportunity with Portland goalkeeper Austin Guerrero before taking a shot. Guerrero was able to stop the initial attempt, but Phil Da Silva was there to clean up the rebound and put the Lions ahead by three.
The Pilots were outshot on the day 15-12, while the Lions also claimed a slim 4-3 margin in corner kicks. Guerrero made six stops and McCormack finished with two.
Portland next returns home for a pair of WCC games at Merlo Field this weekend. On Friday, the Pilots will host the Saint Mary’s Gaels at 5:00 p.m., while Sunday’s match against the San Francisco Dons is set for 2:30 p.m.
Both games are part of a UP soccer double-header, with the women following the men on Friday night with a match against LMU. On Sunday, the women will precede the men with a tilt against Pepperdine at 12:00 p.m.
