By: Jimmy Sheldrup |
Men’s soccer fell 2-1 in overtime to the Gonzaga Bulldogs to open WCC play on Sunday. Joey Jones scored his first career goal, and the only goal for the Pilots, in the game.
The first 15 minutes of the rivalry game was marked by chippy play. Although no yellow cards were assigned there were a total of 16 fouls called in the first half.
Early on, the Bulldogs dominated possession of the ball, and applied constant pressure. Portland had its first shot on goal in minute 20 and by that time, Gonzaga already had four shots on goal.
Portland’s defense matched Gonzaga’s intensity offensively, keeping the score at zero.
After being sidelined with an injury, sophomore Brandon Zambrano made his first appearance on Merlo in nearly a month, subbing in at minute 26. With his return to the pitch, the Pilots’ control increased and they started to apply pressure on Gonzaga. Zambrano’s ball control helped Portland maintain possessions, taking pressure off sophomore goalkeeper Paul Christensen and the Pilot defense.
“When I go in, I just want to get on the ball,” Zambrano said. “I just want to make simple passes, and keep the ball moving. After we get a good rhythm then we can attack.”
As the first half came to an end, the momentum had evened. Portland was forced to play defensive early on, but with sophomore Erik Edwardson and Zambrano subbing in, the game began to even out. At the end of the half Gonzaga had put up nine shots on goal compared to Portland’s five. Still, the score remained tied at zero.
Gonzaga came into the second half looking for an early goal. In minute 47 the Bulldogs scored off a header, taking a 1-0 lead.
In minute 50 the Pilots responded. Senior Hugo Rhoads assisted freshman Joey Jones on his first career goal. Jones' equalizer brought the score to 1-1.
“It felt like a breakthrough,” Jones said. “Playing at the top, it’s expected of you to score goals, and it wasn’t coming, and so hopefully it’s the new start of more to come.”
Gonzaga had a chance to score in minute 63, but was barely wide right. Despite fairly even ball control by the two teams, Gonzaga was outshooting Portland 13-7 by minute 65.
Physical play extended well into the second half. There were even more fouls as the game wore on, and the second half saw three yellow cards, including one to Portland junior Eddie Sanchez.
Christensen made a huge save in minute 84, with a diving stop to his right to help preserve the score at 1-1.
In the final minute of play, Erik Edwardson rocketed a shot on goal, but it was too high, sending the game into overtime. The momentum was in the Pilots’ favor, as they controlled tempo and possessions.
The game picked up right where it left off in regulation. Jellah attempted a goal, and nearly scored after 20 seconds of overtime. Less than a minute later, Gonzaga came back with a shot of their own, nearly scoring.
In minute three, Gonzaga scored an unassisted goal from deep, ending the game 2-1.
The Pilots look to bounce back in WCC play in San Diego against USD on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
Jimmy Sheldrup is a sports writer for The Beacon. He can be reached at sheldrup17@up.edu or on Twitter @JCSheldrup.
