(SAN FRANCISCO) For the second straight season, PLNU Men's Soccer is the PacWest Conference champion.
After Thursday's loss at Fresno Pacific delayed Point Loma's bid to repeat, the Sea Lions wasted no time on Saturday in cementing its place atop the conference standings, routing Academy of Art 9-1 on the final day of the regular season.
PLNU finishes two points ahead of second-placed Menlo and earns the No. 1 seed in next week's PacWest Championships, hosted at the OC Great Park in Irvine.
"After a devastating loss on Thursday, I am incredibly proud of the boys for their ability to bounce back in a positive way," Head Coach
Phil Wolf said. "They have been the best team in the regular season, and I am glad they were able to win the first trophy of the season."
Elijah Langford and
Austin Lavell both recorded hat tricks, becoming the second pair of Sea Lions all-time to score three goals apiece in the same game.
Langford's first goal of the game came just 64 seconds into the contest before he doubled Point Loma's lead in the 14th minute, with both goals being assisted by
Niko Kaczmarczyk.
Emmett Layman then scored the team's third in the 26th before assisting on goals from
Austin Lavell (38') and
Milan Diklic (40') to give the Sea Lions a 5-0 halftime advantage.
The onslaught continued in the second half, as
Christopher Burgos Lara scored in the 49th before Lavell completed his hat trick with goals in the 64th and 85th.
ART U got one back in the 86th, only for Langford to score his third of the game and round out the scoring in the 89th.
Langford's final goal was his 10th of the season, as he becomes PLNU's first double-digit goal scorer since David Achaerandio in 2019.
Calero recorded a hat trick of assists, while Kacmarczyk, Layman and
Simon Sagal each had two assists in the game.
The Sea Lions' nine goals are their most in a single game since their 9-1 victory over Chaminade on Oct. 28, 2019.
"They have been consistent all year, performing day in and day out," Wolf said of his team. "I could not be prouder to be one of their coaches."
Point Loma (11-2-3 overall, 9-1-1 PacWest), ranked No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches Poll, will now play in the PacWest Tournament semifinals on Thursday at 11 a.m. against fourth-seeded Fresno Pacific, the only team to beat PLNU in conference play.
The winner will then advance to the championship on Saturday at 2 p.m. against either second-seeded Westmont or third-seeded Hawai'i Hilo.
"Now we have to turn the page quickly, as the first ever conference tournament is next," Wolf said. "We need to take a couple of days, clear our heads and get back to work on Monday."
