ROCKLIN, Calif. – Facing one another for the first time since the final day of the 2013 regular season, the Warriors played host to the Menlo College Oaks for a highly physical and heated matchup. After the Oaks got on the board with a very early goal, the Warriors were able to quickly turn things around and earn a 3-2 victory.
Just about two minutes into Tuesday's match, the Warriors found themselves with their backs against the wall. Menlo went on a quick counterattack and capitalized by scoring the day's first goal. The Warriors quickly evened up the match in the 15th minute when senior Cody Cantrell (Santa Rosa, CA) lobbed a beautiful cross into the box where junior Justin Soria (Rocklin, CA) chipped the ball into the top corner on his first touch.
Twelve minutes later, the Warriors cashed in momentum as they took the lead. Junior Jacob Rodriguez (Pacifica, CA) played a corner kick right to freshman Conner Entz (Auburn, CA) in the center of the box who headed the ball in goal. With two minutes remaining in the half, junior Jose Hernandez (Ukiah, CA) fired a long throw in to senior Justin Mitchell (Sacramento, CA) in the box. Mitchell flicked the ball over the keeper and into the net to make the score 3-1.
"We've earned the right to call ourselves resilient," said head coach Robbie Handy on the first half comeback. "We battled back, we've had a long season, but they've answered the call a number of times. This time we happened to go above and beyond."
In the second half, the match got extremely physical as the Oaks tried to claw their way back into contention. Menlo pushed the ball into their attacking third and came close a number of times. Their closest chance came near the 80th minute when, after senior goalkeeper Zachary Kammerer (Rocklin, CA) batted a ball away, the Oaks attempted a shot at a wide open net. Junior Brennan Entz leaped high in the air and headed the ball over the crossbar to save the goal.
Menlo would score late in the 88th minute on a quick counterattack, but it would not be enough to put them back in the game. Kammerer finished the day with 6 saves, while the Warriors offensively outshot the Oaks 11-9.
"That was a do-or-die situation for us as far as playoff hopes go," said Handy. "Sometimes you're on the winning end, sometimes you're on the losing end, but today we were able to put some (goals) away. It's big for our morale."
The win improves Jessup to 2-5 in conference play, two points behind Menlo for the final spot in the GSAC playoffs. The Warriors take the field next on Saturday for Senior Day against Westmont College. Game time is set for noon.
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William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook), @WJUSports (Twitter), and @JessupAthletics (Instagram, and Snapchat).
