WAIPAHU, Hawai'i – Point Loma scored at the beginning and near the end of the second half and it was just enough to beat Hawai'i Pacific University 2-1 in PacWest Conference play Monday afternoon at the Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park.
The Sharks (3-6-4, 3-4-2) got on the board late in the match to avoid a shutout. Point Loma (6-5-4, 5-4-1) extended its unbeaten string to four games.
The Sharks outshot the Sea Lions 9-8, but had a difficult time getting the ball past PLNU goal keeper Dylan Roberts who tallied five saves to go with the one goal allowed. HPU keeper
Jesse Kunitomo, a 6-0 senior from Mililani, Hawai'i/Kamehameha-Kapalama, recorded two saves in the contest.
The teams battled to a scoreless draw in the first half, with both teams missing out on strong chances.
The Sea Lions didn't take long to get on the board though in the second half. In the 47th minute, PLNU worked the ball to the right wing and Jorge Navarro centered the ball to Keyran Kelly. Kelly took the pass and chipped it over a diving Kunitomo to grab the 1-0 lead.
HPU just missed on two excellent opportunities with 20 minutes to go as the Sharks started turning up the pressure.
But their pressure backfired on them. In the 82nd minute an offensive attack deflected back toward the midfield where Sea Lion Indiana Fuller took possession behind the Sharks. Fuller went on a breakaway down the left side and cut by Kunitomo who had come off his line to meet him. Fuller had a wide-open shot to take the 2-0 advantage with less than nine minutes to go.
HPU did get on the scoreboard in the 89th minute as senior
Javier Risco Garcia of Madrid, Spain headed in an
Erik Kemsies free kick for his third goal of the season. Kemsies, a senior from Velgast, Germany, chalked up his 34th career assist, extending his HPU record, on his ninth helper of the season.
The Sharks close their seven-game homestand with their final home game of the season on Thursday against Azusa Pacific at the Waipio Soccer Park. The match is scheduled to kickoff at 12:30 p.m.
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