Men’s soccer uses strong schedule to fuel WCC run

Lovel Tokic / Guest Writer / The USD Vista

The men’s soccer team knew that a slip up in conference play would mean missing out on the NCAA Tournament for a sixth straight season. Coming into conference play, the Toreros were still searching for their first victory on the season. Last weekend, they traveled to Moraga to get their first victory against the St. Mary’s Gaels and this weeekend they returned home to face the Gonzaga Bulldogs and Portland Pilots. Sophomore sensation JD Penilton commented before the weekend that “this is by far the most important weekend of our season.”

On Friday night the Toreros, led by Ryan Peterman, Eddie Ahman and Tim Grey in the backline, dominated the Bulldogs 3-0. With USD dictating the pace of play and creating a number of scoring opportunities, senior midfielder Dane McCleary drew a penalty kick midway through the first half. Junior striker JT Howlan stepped up to beat the Gonzaga goalie to his right with a low shot.

With less than one minute left in the first half, senior defender Ahman sent a beautiful over the top through ball to Kyle Ochoa. Ochoa calmly gained control of the bouncing ball and beat the Gonzaga keeper by tucking a precise shot just inside the near post. Torero domination continued through the second half when Howlan set up Trevor May just 10 minutes into the half. May, a new starter, notched his first goal of the season after he received a pass from Howlan in the box and coolly fired the low shot into the goal. Senior keeper Kelin Briones notched his second shutout of the season with a stellar effort in goal.

The Toreros faced the Portland Pilots on Sunday afternoon. The Toreros were looking to exact a measure of revenge as the overtime loss to the Pilots last year at home essentially knocked the Toreros out of a NCAA Tournament bid. USD opened up the scoring about midway through the first half. Junior defender Ryan Peterman sent a long, over the top ball to striker Andrew Feld.

Feld corralled the bouncing ball from just inside the box and slipped a shot past Pilot keeper Austin Guerrero. On a similar play later on in the first half, sophomore Brandon Kelley received another long ball from freshman defender Corey Norris. After a defensive misplay, Kelly headed the high bouncing ball past Guerrero to put the Toreros up 2-0. Former Torero Leland Wright cut the deficit in half eight minutes before halftime. Wright exacted a measure of revenge on the Toreros when he fired a laser beam past Briones into the top corner of the goal.

The Toreros were poised not to let the pesky Pilots back into the game. Just 10 minutes into the second half Peterman sent another long ball to Feld at the top of the box. Feld skillfully controlled the ball with his chest and sent it down into the path of the on-running Kevin Cook. Cook, the speedy freshman midfielder, made no mistake with his shot as he sent a low screamer past Guerrero into the lower corner of the net. The Pilots wouldn’t go away, however, as Collen Warner bent a free kick from about 29 yards out by the Torero wall and past the sprawling Briones. Having cut the Torero lead to 3-2, Portland kept the pressure on USD by peppering Briones’ net with an assortment of shots and crosses.

With six minutes left in the match after a mad scramble in the box following a dangerous cross, a Pilot player found himself with the ball and a golden opportunity to score. With Briones being down and out of the play, the Pilot sent a shot on net. The shot was ticketed for the back of the net until sophomore J.D. Penilton slid and cleared the ball off the line. The Toreros held on for the 3-2 victory and improved their conference record to a perfect 3-0.

The win, unfortunately, didn’t come without bad news. Senior captain Ahman left the match just ten minutes before the final whistle with an apparent elbow injury. The potentially crippling blow left somewhat of a dark cloud over the squad after two huge victories in conference play.

When asked about the teams newfound scoring explosion and success, head coach Seamus McFadden commented, “we played five of the top 10 teams from last year, the out of conference schedule really prepared us for conference play.” Penilton emphatically stated, “this was by far the most important weekend of the season for us. With these wins, we proved we can play with anyone in conference.” After these two huge wins in conference, the men’s soccer team is poised for another big second half run.

The Toreros will face the University of San Francisco Dons tomorrow night, followed by the Santa Clara Broncos on Sunday afternoon.