The Toreros score three goals in the second half to overcome two goals by UP sophomore Alex Elliott
PORTLAND, Ore. --- San Diego scored three goals in the second half to defeat the Portland Pilots 3-2 in a West Coast Conference men’s soccer match on Sunday afternoon at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. UP sophomore forward Alex Elliott had given the Pilots a 1-0 advantage with strike in the 12th minute.
Elliott also scored Portland’s second goal on a penalty kick in the 90th minute. UP was awarded the PK after the official ruled that Elliott was taken down in the box. It’s Elliott’s team-high ninth goal of the season and fourth in the past two games. Down one with 50 seconds left on the clock, the Pilots never seriously threatened the frame.
Portland drops to 6-7-2 on the season and 3-6-0 in the WCC. San Diego improves to 9-5-1 and evens its conference mark at 4-4-1.
Tied at 1-1 in the second half, San Diego scored two goals within a minute of each other. Ryan Guy scored the game-winner in the 70th minute and Mike Barbeito added some insurance 55 seconds later.
Guy had possession with some space just inside the right corner of the 18-yard box and placed a shot perfectly into the top-left corner of the net from 18 yards out. Tannen Wels assisted on the play.
In the 71st minute, Caso found Barbeito with a cross from the right side directly in front of the frame. Barbeito re-directed the pass into the net to give San Diego the 3-1 advantage.
San Diego knotted the score at 1-1 in the 53 rd minute when JT Howlan found the back of the net. Robles came off his line after Caso found Howlan with a pass just to the left of the frame. Howlan’s chip shut barely cleared a diving Robles and dribbled inside the left post. Caso was credited with the assist.
For the second straight game, Elliott opened the scoring for Portland with a first-half goal. Sophomore midfielder Matthew Dallman sent a long cross into the 18-yard box from the right wing. Elliott, who scored both of UP’s goals in a 2-1 win over Loyola Marymount on Friday, collected the pass in the center of the box, took a couple of touches and ripped a low shot into the left corner of the net from 10 yards out in the 12th minute. Dallman now has a team-high five assists this fall.
San Diego nearly equalized in the 20th minute, but UP senior keeper Luis Robles made a diving stop on a shot by Guy. Caso fed Guy with a pass in the box, just to the right of the goal. Caso found some space and ripped a shot towards the far post. Robles dove to his right to make the save.
The Pilots almost made it a two-goal advantage just before the half. Dallman again found Elliott with a long cross from the right. Eight yards in front of the goal, Elliott cut in front of the San Diego defender and headed the ball towards the right post. Elliott’s shot was wide right by mere inches.
Elliott had the first good look in the second half in the 49th minute. Elliott ripped a left-footed shot from outside the box that was just high of the cross bar.
Portland played the game’s final 18 minutes with 10 men after sophomore defender Bryan Irwin was issued a red card. It’s the second red card this season for Irwin, who will have to sit out Portland’s next two games.
The Toreros outshot the Pilots 23-12 and had seven corner kicks to Portland’s two.
Robles made 10 saves on the day, while San Diego’s Lance Friesz stopped two Portland shots.
The Pilots remain at home for a pair of matches next weekend. Portland hosts San Francisco at 7 p.m. on Friday for a game that will be televised in the Portland area on PDX 49. UP then hosts Washington for a non-conference match at 12 p.m. on Sunday. The UP-UW games is part of a doubleheader, as the Pilot women are scheduled to host Pepperdine at 2:30 p.m. at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex.
