[Men's Soccer] Hawks Lose Evenly Matched Contest at Westmont in OT

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The Hawks and the Warriors opened GSAC conference play Thursday at Westmont College in Santa Barbara.  In a very evenly matched game, the host Warriors ended up on the winning side that ended in the second overtime 2-1 in favor of Westmont College.

The Hawks looked the more likely in the opening 15 minutes of play. Hawks striker, Paul Anderson forced the first save of the game 14 minutes in and almost got SDCC on the board in the 26th minute when Eh Paw spotted his run and slotted a pass through to him on the right. Anderson's shot was low and hard but just passed by the left post. The remainder of the first half would be played to a virtual stalemate and the halftime score would remain knotted at 0-0.

After the break, both teams came out with an offensive mindset. In the 54th minute, SDCC's Andrija Mihajlovic would have the first dangerous attempt for either team when his hard shot ricocheted off the top crossbar.

Less than a minute later, the Warriors would get the opening goal of the match from a corner kick. After the goal, Westmont would shift to a defensive strategy. The Hawks would continue to press, outshooting the Warriors 6-2 until finally, SDCC's William Nyambo, struck paydirt in the 76th minute off of a great assist by Ruben Aguiniga. The teams would exchange a couple of shots each before the final whistle would blow ending regulation at 1-1.

Both teams were thinking offensively during the first overtime. The Hawks would have a scare, giving a free-kick to the Warriors at the top of the 18-yard box three and a half minutes in, but the score would remain deadlocked and headed to a second golden goal period.

Only 48 seconds into the final OT, Westmont would find the game-winner after a header off a long kick from the goalkeeper played the Westmont forward in.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks continue GSAC competition Saturday, October 2, at The Master's University in Santa Clarita, CA. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 pm.