Box Score KANEOHE, HI (October 4, 2014) – The Hawai'i Pacific Men's Soccer Team (5-3-1, 3-0) continued its successful start in the conference season with a 1-0 win over 20th ranked Azusa Pacific University (4-2, 1-1) on Saturday afternoon.
Considering the defensive playing style of APU, and HPU's more offensive oriented style, two very different soccer philosophies met at Atherton Field.
HPU made the plays from the first minute on but struggled to break through the Cougars' well tuned defensive lineup. However, HPU managed to bring danger to the opposing goal frequently. In the 17th minute
Daniel Haehre got the ball outside the box and eluded the keeper. His shot from a difficult angle was blocked at the last second by a defender who threw his body in the line of fire selflessly. More good shots from
Kona Gaison and
Erik Kemsies in the 24th minute showed the Sharks' will to break APU's defensive wall.
Both teams started more aggressive in the second period. After a foul in the 51st minute, HPU's fighting spirit was rewarded. Kemsies sent the free kick high into the box where
Brais Garcia was waiting to head it in the goal. It was Garcia's seventh goal of the season.
After the goal, APU had to open up spaces and play more offensive, resulting in a fast and attractive game.
The final phase of the game presented an aggressive fight in the midfield that resulted in several fouls. However, HPU stayed calm during the last minutes and was able to claim the deserved win.
The statistics present an advantage in shots (9-8) for the Cougars. HPU had six shots on goal compared to four from APU. Gaison played an active match firing three shots on the goal. Keeper
Eduardo Palacios, who celebrated a birthday, finished the game with three saves.
"That was a great game between two very good teams! There were momentum shifts and tough tackles to make an entertaining game. We are fortunate to get the win – it could have gone either way. We are off to a good start in conference," said Head Coach
Chris Fisher after the game.
The Sharks will play their next game on Monday, October 6th, against Point Loma University. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30pm at Atherton Field in Kaneohe.
