LOS ANGELES – The LMU men's soccer team defeated Cal 1-0 on Thursday evening at Sullivan Field behind Josh Elash's debut goal.
Jack Englebert was the first Lion to take a rip on Thursday night, taking a nice feed from Ismail Nieves after the latter received a nice swing ball on the right side. Nieves turned and laid the ball off to Englebert who ran on and curled a shot just wide of the net.
The Lions saw continued pressure through
Anthony Wilson. The junior displayed some deft shots from distance. His second nearly dipped into the top of the net but whizzed just over the bar.
Massimo Pomponi was only called on once in the first half, making the save on a 12th minute shot that was hurdling toward the bottom right corner.
Elash got the start in the second half, securing his first minutes in the Lions' shirt. He peppered the keeper in the 61st minute before getting on the scoresheet in the 75
th. Gael Quintero slid a pass through the right side of the defense to a streaking Wilson. Wilson sent a low cross skidding across the box that Elash latched onto and curled a right-footed effort into the bottom corner of the goal to give the Lions the lead.
"I just wanted to get on the pitch and earn some more minutes," Elash said in the postgame interview.
The Lions withstood the final 15 minutes of game time to hold on and earn their first win of the season.
LMU will be back in action on Friday, September 6 as they host UC Riverside at Sullivan Field. The match will begin at 7:00 p.m. (PT) with tickets available on LMULions.com and streaming available on ESPN+.
