The Westminster men's soccer team fell 1-0 to No. 2 Seattle Pacific in a hard-fought neutral-site battle Saturday in Denver. Despite the loss, the Griffins pushed the nation's second-ranked team throughout, out-shooting the Falcons 8-6 in the second half and generating a handful of quality chances late.
Game Breakdown
First Half
Seattle Pacific controlled the run of play early, out-shooting Westminster 5-2 in the opening 45 minutes. The Falcons broke through in the 31st minute when Cooper Schneider scored his first goal of the season off a pair of assists from JJ Diaz and David Ochoa, giving Seattle Pacific a 1-0 lead. Westminster's best look of the half came from Owen Gallo, who forced a save from Falcons goalkeeper Willem Ficek in the 18th minute, while George Acurero had a shot blocked earlier in the half. The Griffins trailed 1-0 at the break.
Second Half
Westminster came out with more urgency after halftime, flipping the shot count and out-shooting the Falcons 8-6 over the final 45 minutes. Max Edwards was the most active Griffin in the frame, firing three shots — one on target, forcing a Ficek save in the 51st minute, with two others blocked. Khristian Bombeck also tested Ficek with a shot on goal in the 61st minute, and Owen Gallo added two more attempts late. But the Griffins couldn't find an equalizer, and the match tightened up with cards shown in the closing minutes — Seattle Pacific's Isaac Grimes was cautioned in the 85th minute, while Westminster's Max Edwards and Cam Neeley each picked up yellow cards in the final two minutes. The match ended 1-0 in favor of the Falcons.
Griffin Performances
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Owen Gallo led Westminster with three shots, one on target
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Max Edwards added three shots, including one on goal that drew a save
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Khristian Bombeck registered a shot on goal in the second half
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Oliver Olsen made one save in a hard-fought effort in goal across the full 90 minutes
Final Stats
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Shots: Seattle Pacific 11, Westminster 10
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Shots on Goal: Westminster 3, Seattle Pacific 2
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Corner Kicks: Seattle Pacific 4, Westminster 3
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Fouls: Seattle Pacific 13, Westminster 8
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Saves: Seattle Pacific 3 (Ficek), Westminster 1 (Olsen)
With the loss, Westminster falls to 2-1-3 on the season, while Seattle Pacific improves to 5-1-0.
Up Next
Westminster returns home to face Regis University on Thursday.
