The Westminster men's soccer team battled to a 3-3 draw with Western Oregon on Saturday afternoon at Dumke Field, surrendering a 3-1 halftime lead as the Wolves rallied in the second half.
Game Breakdown
First Half
Westminster came out firing, taking a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute when George Acurero scored off an assist from Cole Williams. Western Oregon answered less than two minutes later, as Ignacio Brandan tied the match at 1-1 in the 10th minute off an assist from Issak Abraham. The Griffins responded with two goals in a span of less than two minutes: Acurero struck again in the 22nd minute, assisted by Cam Neeley and Cole Williams, before Owen Gallo made it 3-1 in the 24th minute off another Williams assist. Westminster outshot Western Oregon 9-2 in the opening half and led 3-1 at the break.
Second Half
Western Oregon chipped away in the second half, cutting the deficit to 3-2 in the 57th minute on a goal from Archie Dhima, assisted by Brandan. The Wolves completed the comeback in the 74th minute when Erick Chavez scored an unassisted goal to level the match at 3-3. Western Oregon outshot Westminster 6-4 over the final 45 minutes, and neither team found a winner as the match ended in a draw.
Griffin Performances
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George Acurero recorded a two-goal performance, finishing with three shots, all on target
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Owen Gallo scored a goal and added two shots, both on target, on the afternoon
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Cole Williams recorded three assists, setting up all three Westminster goals
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Cam Neeley contributed an assist on Acurero's second goal
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Oliver Olsen made two saves in goal across the full 90 minutes
Final Stats
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Shots: Westminster 13, Western Oregon 8
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Shots on Goal: Westminster 8, Western Oregon 6
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Corner Kicks: Westminster 3, Western Oregon 3
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Fouls: Westminster 11, Western Oregon 19
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Saves: Westminster 3, Western Oregon 5
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Offsides: Westminster 5, Western Oregon 0
With the draw, Westminster moves to 0-0-2 on the season, while Western Oregon improves to 1-0-1.
Up Next
Westminster stays at home to face UC Merced on Thursday at 7 p.m.
