ALISO VIEJO, Calif. – The EOU men’s soccer team used a two-goal first half and a strong defensive effort in the second stanza to muster a 3-1 triumph over Bethesda (Calif.) on Friday night.
EOU (2-0) outshot Bethesda (0-3), 15-6, and the Mountaineers owned a 2-0 edge in corners.
For the second-straight contest, a pair of junior strikers in Julian Wells and Tyler Hoiem netted goals for the Blue and Gold, while freshman defender Enrique Sanchez posted his first collegiate goal in the second half to keep the Flames out of reach.
In goal, senior keeper Alfredo Lara collected five saves, including a diving snag in the first half on a free kick for Bethesda. In the backfield, senior Osvaldo Martinez, freshman Jorge Chavez, and junior Francisco Arroyo confined the Flames to only four shots on frame.
Wells was big for EOU on the offensive end, breaking the scoreless tie with a goal in the 30th minute before playing a ball to Hoiem 10 minutes later for the second tally of the affair.
After Bethesda countered with a goal in the second half to make it a 2-1 game, Sanchez responded with a score in the 87th minute off a pass from sophomore midfielder Jesus Trejo to extend the advantage back to two.
BY THE NUMBERS
5 – Saves for Lara.
3 – Shots on goal for T. Hoiem.
15 – Shots by EOU, compared to six by Bethesda.
1st – Collegiate goal for Sanchez.
UP NEXT
EOU concludes its California road swing on Sunday at Soka University of America. Kickoff is set for noon.