Box Score
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- The Loyola Marymount Lions scored in the 24th minute and would hold on for a 1-0 win over the Portland Pilots in a West Coast Conference men’s soccer game on Sunday afternoon at Sullivan Field. The Pilots return home with an 8-5-5 overall mark and a 3-4-4 record in the WCC.
The Lions (9-8-1, 4-5-1 WCC) began the match aggressively and recorded four of the first six shots before finding the back of the net exactly 24 minutes into the game. On a ball that was sent into the area by Steffen Canty, Brock Smith scored on a volley from 16 yards out to give LMU the early 1-0 lead. It’s the first career goal for Smith.
LMU would hold Portland without a shot for the rest of the first half.
Portland stepped up the pressure after the break, firing eight shots at the LMU goal. The Pilots nearly equalized when they peppered LMU keeper Patrick Sampson with three shots in three minutes. Junior Jarad vanSchaik began the onslaught with shot that drilled the cross bar in the 61st minute. Freshman Colin Barich followed with a shot that was high 53 seconds later and junior Alex Kraus had an attempt that was wide.
The teams exchanged shots from there until Portland had a good opportunity after LMU's Rafael Baca was issued a yellow card with about a minute remaining in the match. On the ensuing free kick, UP senior Collen Warner served up a well-placed ball, but the header from freshman Marc Tonkel was wide of the goal.
The Lions outshot Portland 15-10, while the Pilots held a 6-2 advantage in corner kicks.
Portland junior goalkeeper Austin Guerrero finished with three saves on the day. Sampson had two.
The Pilots will next look to strengthen their playoff chances with a pair of home games to end the regular season. On Thursday night, Portland steps out of conference briefly to host the Seattle Redhawks at 7:00 p.m. at Merlo Field at the Clive Charles Soccer Complex. Then on Sunday, the Pilots conclude the regular season with a 3:00 p.m. tilt against conference foe San Francisco.
