(SAN DIEGO) The wait is finally over.
For the first time in program history, PLNU Men's Soccer will finish atop the PacWest standings, as the Sea Lions clinched at least a share of the conference title with a 0-0 draw against Westmont on Wednesday.
Point Loma also earns the PacWest's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
"I'm so pumped for the guys that they were able to get a result today and do what we needed to do," Head Coach
Phil Wolf said. "We've been going at this for a while and our program has been around since 1975 and has never won a trophy.
"I don't want to take anything away from it. It wasn't the performance we wanted but it's the result that you'll take on the day. I'm proud of them and it's not easy to get a clean sheet."
Over the previous eight seasons, Point Loma had accumulated more points than any other PacWest team but had yet to win a trophy despite a pair of runner-up finishes – until Wednesday.
"Over the last eight years, I feel like we've been the most consistent team in the league – always there but always kind of falling short," Wolf said. "It's a bit of perseverance so I'm super proud of the guys. This group of guys has some warriors. I love to get a trophy. We've deserved it."
The tie ended PLNU's five-match winning streak but a third-straight shutout ensured Point Loma made program history with a first piece of silverware.
"Early in the season, we lacked balance," Wolf said. "We were good going forward but had no stability defensively. Then there have been times where we've had both. Maybe today we were a little more defensive than we want to be, but to me the foundation of playing is defending and keeping clean sheets, and then can your attack find ways.
"I'm super proud of those guys. They battled. It's not going to be an easy team to play against in the NCAAs, that's for sure."
PLNU held a slim 11-10 overall shot advantage, forcing two saves in the first half, with multiple dangerous crosses just missing their targets. The Sea Lions then pushed for a winner in the second period, with
Niko Kaczmarczyk's header going inches wide.
Nothing quite came off for the Point Loma attack on the day, but
Finn Simmersbach made three saves in goal to keep the Sea Lions undefeated at home this season (6-0-1).
"All these guys have invested so much," Wolf said. "They battle and are warriors. They just want to win. For them to be able to do that is awesome. Congrats to those guys."
Point Loma (11-4-1 overall, 7-1-1 PacWest) concludes its regular season on Saturday at Fresno Pacific. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
A win or tie on Saturday would clinch the outright PacWest championship for Point Loma (22 points), as would a loss or tie from both Westmont (19 points) and Dominican (19 points) in their final games of the season.
Regardless, PLNU will represent the PacWest in the 10-team NCAA Super Region 4 tournament, as the Sea Lions hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with Dominican and Westmont is ineligible for the NCAA postseason due to its transition from the NAIA.
"The co-champion idea and not winning your last game at home, I think it was pretty anticlimactic," Wolf said. "To be fair, Westmont caused us a lot of issues. Morgan Cathey has done a great job with them.
"Hopefully we can take care of business. Now you're playing for an outright championship but you're also playing for a seed, so we have to consider these things."
