Ahead of the Game

Saturday, September 23

Riverside, Calif.

3:00 PM

California Baptist University

6-0-1, 2-0-0PacWest

Hawai'i Pacific

2-3-1, 0-2-0PacWest

Hawaii Pacific

California Baptist

Photo by: Conner Schuh

9/23/2017 8:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Sammi Wellman, Director of Sports Information

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Despite playing a man down for a majority of the game, No. 11-ranked California Baptist University came out ahead with a 4-3 win over Hawai'i Pacific Saturday afternoon.

The Lancers improve to 6-0-1 overall and remains atop the PacWest standings at 2-0-0. The Sharks drop to 2-3-1 on the year, 0-2-0 in conference.

"We started the game well, but found ourselves in a difficult situation down a man with quite a bit of time left on the clock," said Coach Coe Michaelson. "It was all about just being disciplined and working hard for each other out there. It might not have been how we would have drawn up [the result], but the experience and the quality [of play] we showed, we're going to be better for that."

CBU struck first, finding the back of the net in the ninth minute of action as Aidan Apodaca stripped a defender of the ball, passed it over to Sebastian Wiesboeck, who one-touched it across the box. Hugo Gutierrez got on the end of the cross, tapping it in, 1-0.

Apodaca – who leads all of NCAA (Divisions I, II and III) in scoring – netted his 17^th goal of the year just 20 seconds later off an assist from Joey Chica, 2-0.

HPU cut the lead to one goal in the 21^st minute, but Preston Judd gave the Lancers back their two-goal lead in the 32^nd minute. Junior Guerra weighted a through ball behind the Shark defense, allowing Judd to run onto it and finish it to the near post, 3-1.

The Sharks made things interesting by scoring two more goals before halftime and drawing a red card for the Lancers.

Even while playing a man down and hungry for another goal, CBU kept its composure in the second half and kept to its game plan, knowing the goal would come.

The Lancers had multiple breakaway opportunities, but the HPU goalkeeper came up with huge saves to keep the score deadlocked at 3-3 until the 77^th minute.

Guerra took a short corner to Wiesboeck, who sent in a perfect cross into the box. Judd powered home a header to give his team back the lead, 4-3.

"I thought our second-half performance was excellent considering we were down a man the entire time," said Michaelson. "To completely control the game in the manner we did, it's good that we got the goal since we had three or four of the best looks in the half. It was just a testament to our character to be able to dig deep and pull it out in the end. I thought we deserved it."

HPU tried for some last-minute heroics to send the game into overtime, but Edgar Benitez and the Lancer defense was determined to grab the win and wouldn't let the Sharks find the equalizer.

CBU hits the road next week for a 6:00 p.m. Pacific kick off at Dixie State.