HILO, Hawaii – Sophomore Gustavo Diaz Avila netted the first goal of his collegiate career on Wednesday evening to give the University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team an early 1-0 lead over University of Hawaii Hilo, but the Mountain Lions surrendered an equalizer in the 79^th minute and were ultimately forced to settle for a 1-1 draw against the Vulcans.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 1, UHH 1
Records: UCCS (1-2-2, 0-0-0 RMAC), UHH (1-2-1, 0-0-0 PACWEST)
Facility: Vulcan Soccer Field | Hilo, Hawaii   
All-Time Series: Wednesday's match marked the first in program history between the Mountain Lions and Vulcans.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After the Vulcans took the opening kickoff, UCCS went on to dominate possession of the ball across the early moments of the first half, and their efforts were rewarded in the 19^th minute when they were granted a free kick from about 10 yards outside the penalty box. The Mountain Lions lined up Eduardo Macias and Gustavo Diaz Avila on the ball for the free kick, and after a brief decoy from Macias, Diaz Avila approached the ball and unleashed a strike that curled around a pair of defenders and past the outstretched arms of the UHH goalkeeper into the back of the net to give UCCS a quick 1-0 advantage.
• UCCS maintained their strong play on both sides of the ball for the remainder of the opening half as they limited the Vulcans to just three total shots to maintain their one-goal lead heading into the halftime break.
• With the lead in hand, the Mountain Lions endured a feverish offensive attack from Hawaii Hilo to start the second half as the Vulcans had four shot attempts and three corner kick opportunities within the first 15 minutes of the period. Fortunately for UCCS, three of the Vulcans four shots in that span sailed off target while the fourth was saved easily by Mountain Lion goalkeeper Hugo Sjöberg.
• After the Vulcans failed to convert on a free kick from just outside the penalty box in the 66^th minute, UCCS had a golden opportunity of their own to extend the lead in the 70^th minute as Sean Belzer won possession of the ball around midfield and found himself with plenty of open turf as he streaked towards the goal. As Belzer approached the 18-yard box, UHH goalkeeper Paul Waschkau met him and managed to block away the shot attempt on frame to keep the Mountain Lion lead at just one goal.
• The stellar play in goal by Waschkau against Belzer proved to be monumental in the match as Feliz Drizinksy cashed in on a goal for the Vulcans just nine minutes later in the 79^th minute that brought the game even at one apiece. Following Drizinsky's equalizer, neither team mounted much of a threat across the final 10 minutes of the period as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

STATS FROM THE GAME

• Hawaii Hilo held a decided 14-to-6 advantage in total shots, although the Vulcans put just three shots on goal compared to two for the Mountain Lions.
• Diaz Avila netted the first goal of his collegiate career on a free kick in the 19^th minute.
• Belzer and Diaz Avila recorded the lone shots on goal in the match for UCCS, while Rory Scott paced the team with two total shots.
• On the defensive side of the ball, Diaz Avila and Kieron Richardson each logged complete 90-minute performances.
• Sjöberg also played the full 90 minutes in frame for the Mountain Lions as he collected a pair of saves while allowing one goal.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Mountain Lions recorded a season-low six shots in the match after having recorded double-digit shot totals in each of the first four games of the season.

UP NEXT

• The Mountain Lions will now make their way to Honolulu, Hawaii for a matchup against Hawaii Pacific University on Friday, Sept. 19. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m. (HST) / 7 p.m. (MT). 

SOCIAL
Twitter - @GoMountainLions
Instagram - @gomountainlions 
Facebook – Go Mountain Lions
 
As a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs competes in 14 varsity sports in NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletics. 
  Read Full Article