ROCKLIN, Calif. - The Warriors got a little taste of PacWest play as they hosted the Academy of Art Urban Knights in a Friday matchup. The tight game saw a back-and-forth battle but ultimately saw a successful ending with a 3-1 victory for the Warriors.
"We played well to start but couldn't finish on some early attempts," said head coach
Greg Lazaga. "The second half was a test for us. We showed a little lack of composure, and we need to learn from that and continue to dictate the tempo."
Diego Nunez continued his hot streak as he started the scoring for the Warriors to put them on top early off an assist by
Sergio Medina. This was Nunez's 7th goal of the season and his fourth consecutive home game with a goal.
On the opening goal, Lazaga noted, "Sergio had a great all-around game on both sides of the ball and made a great slip pass to get us on the board."
Isaac Morfin also tallied his name just about midway through the match. The junior out of Concord scratched his third goal of the year, coming via a penalty kick, giving the Warriors some breathing room to push Jessup's lead to 2-0.
The PacWest visitors would soon cut the score in half by way of a penalty kick of their own. The goal would come from Alejandro Palos, but that would be the only goal out of the Urban Knights.
The defense was also a standout during the day, as excellent goalkeeping from the Warriors kept them in the game and ahead for the remainder of the match.
Gerardo Perez Plata showed off their goaltending skills by making two huge saves late in the game.
With just 19 seconds left in the game,
Jeffrey Garcia added some insurance as he scored his first goal of the season to finalize the Warriors' 3-1 victory.
On Garcia's goal, Lazaga added, "Really proud of Jeff as well. He had a rough first half and got pulled. He didn't let it get him down and ended up with a goal to put the game away in the end. Excited to start gsac next week."
The next home game for the Warriors will be the start of the GSAC competition on September 28th against Arizona Christian here at Warrior Field. 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).
