Box Score BELMONT, CA (September 27, 2014) – The Hawai'i Pacific Men's Soccer Team (4-3-1, 2-0) ended its road trip with a 3-2 win over Notre Dame de Namur University (2-4-1, 0-1) on Saturday.
The Sharks, who were affected by several injuries after the last two road games against Sonoma State and Academy of Art, exhibited extraordinary fighting spirit and character.
After some good shots from both teams, it was
Christopher Campbell who grabbed the lead after a pass inside the box from
Ryo Sugihara (23').
Just one minute later,
Brais Garcia demonstrated his killer instinct once again. Garcia won the ball in the midfield, dribbled through the defense and fired an unsaveable shot past the keeper (24').
However, the Argonauts were able to narrow the gap to 2-1 in the 32nd minute with a header after a long throw-in.
After the changeover, the Argonauts started attacking and tried to tie the game again. In the 56th minute, the Argos also managed to score the equalizer with a good shot.
One minute later, Head Coach
Chris Fisher was forced to make a rare move. HPU's backup keeper
Eduardo Palacios had to replace Sugihara as a forward on the field due to the accumulation of injuries on the team.
"That was one of the gutsiest performances I have ever seen. We had seven players who physically could not play. We brought 18 on this road trip. Our goalkeeper had to come in as forward and did a great job. It shows this team has character," said Fisher after the game.
Following, HPU proved its will to win and stoutness. With no substitution players left, the Sharks stayed offensive and kept attacking. In minute 75, the fighting spirit paid off. After a free kick from
Jorge Vela,
Jackson Groves headed the ball in the goal bringing the lead back to the Sharks. It is Groves' first goal for the Sharks after transferring from Oregon State to HPU this season.
The Sharks stayed calm during the last minutes of the game, closed off space and were able to retain the lead.
The statistics present an advantage in shots for the Argonauts (16-9) but five shots on target from each team. Keeper
Jesse Kunitomo had three saves compared to just two saves from the opposing goalie. The physically hard play resulted in eight yellow cards (HPU 3-5) and a total of 34 fouls (HPU 19-15).
The Sharks will now travel back to Hawai'i to play their next game on Saturday, October 4, against Azusa Pacific at Atherton Field at 12:30 pm.
