Oct. 10, 2010

Box Score | Photo Gallery

Click here for post-game interviews with Coach Krumpe, David Ponce, and Roger Downes.

LOS ANGELES - LMU exploded for three first-half goals then hung on to thwart a furious second-half rally by #25 Portland for a 3-2 victory in a matchup between the top two West Coast Conference teams on Sunday afternoon at Sullivan Field. Goals from sophomore David Ponce and juniors Artur Jozkowicz and Phil Da Silva lifted the Lions (8-3-1, 4-0-0 WCC) to their fourth straight win and best-ever start to conference play.

The preseason favorites in the WCC the Lions hold a four-point lead over current second place Santa Clara, having taken the maximum 12 points thanks to their first-ever four-match winning streak in conference play. The Pilots (5-2-4, 2-1-1 WCC) entered the match in second place with seven points and, as to be expected from two of the top-scoring teams in the conference, the game was offensive-minded from start to finish, with the teams combining for the five goals on 27 shots.

It was truly a game of two halves as the Lions dominated the opening 45 minutes to take a commanding 3-0 lead into the break. Ponce got things going in the 12th minute when he arrived un-marked in the middle of the penalty area to stab home a corner from junior Logan McDaniel. Ponce's one-touch finish was not the prettiest of shots but it was enough to sneak in between a Pilot defender and the post for his third goal of the season.

Six minutes later, the Lions were up 2-0 on Jozkowicz's conference-leading sixth goal. Freshman Christian Alvarado used his pace to get past the defense on the right side, crossing in to the middle where Ponce flicked it on. Jozkowicz had time to collect himself before picking out his spot with a curling right-footed shot to the far right corner.

With an 11-4 shot advantage in the first half, the Lions were rolling and the route looked to be on when Da Silva made it 3-0 five minutes from the break. Freshman Connor Hunsicker was released on a long ball over the top by junior Kyle Johanson but his shot was saved by Portland goalie Austin Guerrero. Da Silva was quick to react, following up the play for an easy tap-in. After scoring four goals in his previous two seasons combined, Da Silva now has four goals in the first 12 matches of 2010.

The 3-0 lead at the half was comfortable for the Lions but they expected the Pilots to come at them in the second half. And come at them they did as 45 minutes was plenty of time for Portland to make things interesting. In the 65th minute, Jarad vanSchaik headed in Ben Hemphill's delivery from the right to pull back what originally looked to be a consolation goal. However, Ryan Kawulok made it a one-goal game again in the 74th by arriving at the far post to turn in Colin Anderson's free kick.

Kawulok's goal set up a wild final 16 minutes as Portland pushed for the equalizer and the Lions looked to hold on and possibly grab an insurance goal in the meantime. In the 78th minute, Steven Evans thought he had drawn the Pilots level but the post came to LMU's rescue to keep out his long-range effort. Six minutes later, Jozkowicz found himself on a breakaway, with only Guerrero to beat. Jozkowicz tried to go high but the goalie made the stop of the game by ranging to his left and paw it away for a corner. Hemphill would have one last chance for Portland but he could not keep his header down as it sailed over with 12 seconds left, allowing the Lions to run out the clock.

LMU finished with a 15-12 shot advantage, marking the seventh straight game and 10th time this season that the Lions have put up double-digit shots. Junior goalkeeper Jack McCormack made two saves for the Lions in earning his eighth win of the season, tying him for third place on LMU's single-season record list for goalkeeper wins. His 10 career wins now rank seventh in LMU history.

The Lions' 4-0-0 start to WCC play tops the previous best for the program, a 3-0-1 start in 2004. LMU's current four-match winning streak is also the program's longest since winning four in a row from September 26-October 8, 2004 while it marks the first time ever that LMU has won four in a row in conference play.

It will be a short turn-around for the Lions as they have just two days off before closing out their three-game homestand with a Wednesday 3 p.m. visit from San Diego. The first half of WCC play concludes on Friday with the Lions visiting Santa Clara at 7 p.m.