(PUEBLO, Colo.) Another stellar season for PLNU Men's Soccer came to an unfortunate end on Thursday afternoon, as ninth-seeded Western Oregon defeated the eighth-seeded Sea Lions, 2-0, in the NCAA Super Region 4 First Round.
 
"I'm gutted for the guys but really proud of another strong year that we put together," Head Coach Phil Wolf said. "I am especially thankful for the seniors and the grad students who played their last game with us. Their contribution to our program has been immeasurable and for this we are truly thankful."
 
In a scoreless first half, both teams tallied four shots apiece, with PLNU goalkeeper Reinier ter Riet making a pair of saves and midfielder Simon Sagal forcing a save on the other end.
 
The game turned in Western Oregon's favor in the 70th minute when Point Loma was issued a red card, meaning the Sea Lions had to play down a man for the final 20 minutes.
 
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Elijah Langford came close to scoring with an acrobatic effort that just missed the target.
 
Western Oregon then capitalized with a pair of goals just two-and-a-half minutes apart in the 80th and 83rd minutes.
 
Sagal forced another save late on before the Wolves held on to win and prevent the Sea Lions from advancing to the Second Round in back-to-back years.
 
"For the most part I thought it was an even affair until the red card," Wolf said. "That was a really important decision that went against us."
 
This season, Point Loma (11-4-3 overall) won a second straight PacWest title, while making a second consecutive NCAA postseason appearance.

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