(FRESNO, Calif.) Clinching a share of the PacWest title after a 0-0 draw against Westmont on Wednesday might've been a little anticlimactic for PLNU Men's Soccer.
But the Sea Lions more than made up for it on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Fresno Pacific that clinched the outright PacWest title for Point Loma.
"Tonight feels a lot more like what we thought winning a championship should feel like," Head Coach
Phil Wolf said. "The reality is the other day was a real letdown. Part of that was we did not perform well and part of that was that we tied.
"But tonight feels like we won a trophy and I couldn't be prouder of the guys. We played really well against a team that is always difficult to play in Fresno."
The conference championship is not only the program's first PacWest crown, it's the program's first trophy won ever.
"This is not just the first PacWest title, this is the first trophy of any kind," Wolf said. "Three generations of players have come and gone in Point Loma soccer history and this is the first group that finally reached the pinnacle. All our soccer alumni would be proud to know and watch this group play."
PLNU entered its game knowing it needed to win or draw to be outright champions, after Westmont beat Concordia earlier in the day to tie the Sea Lions on points.
But a
Felix Calero goal in the 20th minute ensured that Point Loma wouldn't have to settle for back-to-back draws.
Calero slipped a through ball to
Marlon Buck, who pulled a pass back toward Calero as he continued his run into the box, before the St. Mary's transfer fired into the back of the net from the corner of the six-yard box.
The Sea Lions outshot the Sunbirds 13-8 overall and 8-5 in shots on goal, but it didn't matter as Calero's goal held up because of a fourth-straight shutout for the PLNU defense.
Point Loma (12-4-1 overall, 8-1-1 PacWest) now awaits its postseason fate, which it will find out on Monday during the NCAA Selection Show at 4 p.m. PT.
