ENCINITAS, Calif. – The long offseason finally came to an end on Friday as the Warriors kicked off a new campaign on the road against the University of Saint Katherine. On a day that got off to a rocketing start, Jessup put their best offensive foot forward as they won their opener, 3-1.
On the win, head coach
Greg Lazaga stated, "It was a good opening match for us. Games are always harder on the road, so I am proud of our guys. We played some decent soccer in moments, but we need to put together longer stretches and then I think we can be dangerous."
It would not take long to answer the question of who would score the first goal of the season. In fact, it didn't even take 60 seconds as
Paolo Ionescu found the back of the net in the first minute of the match.
"Paolo pressured the ball from the opening whistle and stole a goal early," added Lazaga, who also noted the defense has areas to fix. "After that we were honestly poor on set pieces defensively. We will have to address the issues as it needs to be something we pride ourselves in going forward."
For Ionescu, the goal was the second of his collegiate career and first since September 20, 2021, against Simpson. The sophomore forward was eager to return to action, having missed the 2022 season.
Saint Katherine wasted little time of their own in finding an equalizer, scoring in the fifth minute to knot things up at one.
The goal came against Jessup goalkeeper
Gerardo Perez Plata, who played all 90 minutes of Friday's action. Perez Plata, now in his second season with the Warriors, allowed just one goal while recording three saves.
Twenty minutes of level play commenced before the Warriors again found the scoresheet. This time it was
Diego Nunez, coming off the bench, to score his first tally of the year and place his side on top midway through the first half.
Nunez, now in his third season in Rocklin, netted four goals in 2022.
The score remained at 2-1 for the remaining 17 minutes of the first half, as well as the first half hour of the second. The insurance goal finally came 79 minutes into the match as
Isaac Morfin scored off a
Shea Gomberg assist.
Gomberg, now in his second year at Jessup, was playing in his first collegiate match after missing all of 2022. For Morfin, the goal was the seventh of his career.
Lazaga also pointed out
Donovan Carrillo as a player who stood out in the match. "Donovan was spectacular today on both sides of the ball. It was good to see a senior step up in our first official match."
Jessup dominated the offensive comparison in this one, outshooting USK 13-7. The Warriors also earned seven corner kicks to just two from their opponents.
The Warriors start the season 1-0 for the second year in a row. They will look to improve their record to 2-0 tomorrow afternoon when they take on the University of Antelope Valley at 1 p.m. in Lancaster.
Jessup will not compete at home on Warrior Field until one week from today when they host the College of Idaho at 11 a.m. Tickets are on sale
HERE.
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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 Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).
