Glendale, Ariz. | The No. 8-ranked Warner Pacific University men's soccer team capped off its Arizona road trip in impressive fashion Friday, earning a 2-0 victory over Arizona Christian University behind goals from Ethan Zavala and Jose Robles and a shutout performance from goalkeeper Jonathan Flores.
After opening the season with a scoreless draw against Embry-Riddle, the Knights broke through offensively against the Firestorm while once again refusing to concede a goal. Warner Pacific improved to 1-0-1 on the young season with the victory.
The Knights wasted little time putting Arizona Christian under pressure.
Mario Jauregui-Vallarta produced Warner Pacific's first opportunity in the sixth minute before Zavala gave the Knights the early advantage at 7:31. Zavala found the back of the net for his first goal of the season, putting Warner Pacific ahead 1-0.
Warner Pacific continued attacking after taking the lead. Bryan Jimenez forced Arizona Christian goalkeeper Emiliano Vega into a save less than two minutes after the goal, while Luis Gonzalez added a pair of first-half attempts.
The Knights' defense was equally impressive during the opening 45 minutes, holding the Firestorm to just one shot. That lone attempt came in the 27th minute, when Flores denied Josh Flanagan to preserve Warner Pacific's advantage. Meanwhile, Carson Dennis put another shot on goal for the Knights in the 36th minute as Warner Pacific carried its 1-0 lead into halftime.
Arizona Christian came out more aggressive offensively in the second half, but Warner Pacific continued to generate dangerous opportunities of its own.
Jauregui-Vallarta forced Vega into a save just three minutes after halftime, and Jimenez followed with a blocked attempt. Jose Robles, Gonzalez and Otto Pasley each added chances as the Knights looked for an important insurance goal. Jimenez nearly doubled the advantage in the 64th minute, putting another shot on frame that Vega kept out. That second goal finally arrived in the 80th minute.
After weathering a stretch of Arizona Christian pressure, Warner Pacific responded with a decisive counterpunch. Jimenez helped create the opportunity and found Robles, who finished the chance at 79:34 to give the Knights a commanding 2-0 advantage. It was Robles' first goal of the season and Jimenez's first assist.
With the two-goal cushion secured, the Knights' defense and Flores took care of the rest.
Arizona Christian pushed numbers forward in an attempt to get back into the match, but Flores delivered when his team needed him. The Warner Pacific goalkeeper made three saves in a span of less than three minutes late in the second half, including back-to-back stops on Raul Aranda in the 87th minute. The Knights' defense also blocked multiple Firestorm attempts during the closing stretch to preserve the clean sheet.
Flores finished the afternoon with five saves while earning the shutout victory in his first start of the season. Warner Pacific's defensive unit has now gone 180 consecutive minutes without allowing a goal to begin the 2026 campaign.
"I'm extremely proud of our team for their commitment and resilience amidst very hot playing temperatures," Head Coach Troy Ready said. "We will get more clinical in our finishing throughout the season but securing back to back clean sheets on the road is a fantastic achievement."
Offensively, the Knights finished with 14 shots and placed six on goal. Jimenez and Gonzalez led Warner Pacific with three shots apiece, while Robles recorded two shots, a goal and one attempt on target. Zavala scored on one of his two attempts, while Jimenez finished with two shots on goal and the assist on Robles' second-half strike. The Knights also displayed discipline throughout the physical road contest. Warner Pacific was whistled for only four fouls over 90 minutes compared to 14 against Arizona Christian.
With a draw and a victory in its first two matches, No. 8 Warner Pacific leaves Arizona unbeaten at 1-0-1. More importantly, the Knights have yet to surrender a goal, combining strong defensive play with an attack that broke through when it mattered most against the Firestorm.
Next Up
The Knights will fly home today and get ready to play a midweek game on Wednesday the 26th against Linfield University at 7:30pm.