HONOLULU, Hawaii – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs men's soccer team played Hawaii Pacific University to a 1-1 draw on Friday at the Waipi'o Soccer Complex with senior defender Rory Scott's 55^th minute goal serving as an equalizer in the match after the Mountain Lions fell behind on an early goal by the Sharks.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: UCCS 1, HPU 1
Records: UCCS (1-2-3, 0-0-0 RMAC), HPU (3-0-2, 0-0-0 PACWEST)
Facility: Waipi'o Soccer Complex | Honolulu, Hawaii   
All-Time Series: The Mountain Lions move to 0-0-2 all-time against Hawaii Pacific.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• After the Mountain Lions secured the first shot attempt of the match in the third minute off the foot of Miles Seminario, Hawaii Pacific flipped the momentum in their direction and found success on their first threat of the afternoon in the ninth minute as Kelly Takara found the back of the net off an assist from Pedro Ashley for a 1-0 lead.
• The remainder of the opening half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Mountain Lions record four more shots, including a shot on goal in the 21^st minute by Rory Scott that was saved by HPU goalkeeper Oliver Holt. On the defensive side of the ball, UCCS limited the Sharks to just two additional shots after surrendering the early goal with Mountain Lion netminder Hugo Sjöberg collecting his first save of the contest in the 26^th minute on a shot by HPU center back Alexander Arguijo to keep the deficit at just a single score going into halftime.
• The Mountain Lions came out of the intermission with an added intensity on the offensive end of the ball as Soulo Letsoalo put a shot on frame less than three minutes into the second period that was followed by a shot from Gael Hernandez in the 53^rd minute that sailed wide left of the goal. Less than two minutes after Hernandez's shot, UCCS found another opportunity at the net and this time converted on the chance with Charlie Dennis finding Scott for a goal into the bottom left portion of the nylon that evened the match at one goal apiece in the 55^th minute.
• After scoring the game-tying goal, Sjöberg and the UCCS defensive unit went to work against a frenzied attack by Hawaii Pacific that saw the Sharks post 10 total shots across the final 35 minutes of action, including four that were placed on goal and saved by the Mountain Lions. Despite the pressure, UCCS managed to maintain the score until the final horn to secure the 1-1 road draw.  

STATS FROM THE GAME

• UCCS was outshot by Hawaii Pacific 15-to-12 with the Sharks putting six shots on goal compared to four for the Mountain Lions.
• Scott scored his first goal of the season while also recording a pair of shots, both of which were on goal. Dennis notched the first assist of his collegiate career on Scott's goal as he totaled 45 minutes of action in the match.
• Hernandez and Eduardo Macias matched Scott for the team lead with two total shots apiece. Macias put one of his shots on frame, while Letsoalo recorded the only other shot on goal for the Mountain Lions.
• Sjöberg put together a solid 90-minute performance in frame for UCCS, surrendering just the one goal while matching his season-high with four saves.  

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Friday's match against Hawaii Pacific marked the second meeting all-time between the two programs. The previous meeting between the Mountain Lions and Sharks on Sept. 5, 2014, ended in the same fashion as today's matchup with the two teams playing to a 1-1 draw.

UP NEXT

• The UCCS men's soccer team will return home next week for their final two games of the non-conference schedule as they will take on Fort Lewis College on Thursday, Sept. 25 before hosting Regis University on Sunday, Sept. 28. The Mountain Lions' matchup against the Skyhawks inside Mountain Lion Stadium is set to kick off at 7:30pm as part of UCCS' annual Homecoming and Storm the Stadium festivities.

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