Box Score
PORTLAND, Ore --- The Portland Pilots scored first, but the Loyola Marymount Lions responded with three unanswered goals en route to a 3-1 win in a West Coast Conference men’s soccer game played on Friday night at Merlo Field. It was UP freshman Steven Evans who gave the Pilots the early lead in the 16th minute.
The Lions would score twice before the half and again in the second half to improve to 10-5-2 overall and to 6-2-1 in the WCC. Portland (8-4-5, 5-3-2 WCC) opened the day in second place in the conference just ahead of the Lions.
Evans’ goal, which was his fourth of the season, came after he gained possession just outside the top of the 18-yard box. He would fight his way though a plethora of defenders before cracking a low, bouncing shot that made it under a diving Jack McCormack, LMU’s goalkeeper, to give the Pilots a 1-nil lead.
LMU would equalize in the 36th minute before cracking the go-ahead goal just before the half-time buzzer. Trailing 1-0, the Lions’ Artur Jozkowicz sent a corner kick into the box that was knocked down by Jonas Reiter. Logan McDaniel then finished from the center of the penalty area to tie the score at 1-1.
Then in the 42nd minute, Rafael Baca gave the Lions a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. He and Phil Da Silva hooked up on a give-and-go play, allowing Baca to finish inside the lower left corner for a 2-1 lead.
It was then Baca who scored the insurance goal with a strike in the 62nd minute. Baca took advantage of a failed clearance by the Pilots to score his third goal of the season and give LMU the 3-1 advantage.
The Pilots outshot the Lions 15-13 and held a 5-2 edge in corner kicks. McCormack finished with five saves, while Portland senior goalkeeper Austin Guerrero made three stops. Evans led the Portland attack with a game-high four shots.
The game featured 30 total fouls, with each side being shown three yellow cards.
Portland next wraps up its regular season home schedule with a game against the San Diego Toreros on Sunday. Kick off between the Pilots and Toreros is set for 1:00 p.m. at Merlo Field. UP will honor its five seniors (Vlastimir Davidovic, Guerrero, Alex Kraus, Ryan Luke and Jarad vanSchaik) with a pre-game ceremony.
