(Jr. Forward Marco Timm surveying the field)
October Update: On October 7, the Soka University of America (SUA) men’s soccer team traveled to Phoenix, AZ to take on Arizona Christian. The men played outstanding, creating numerous scoring chances. Despite having 2 goals called back, they were able pull out a 1-1 tie in a match that went to overtime. Coach Cano said after the game that “the spirit that this team has is phenomenal. These kids are fantastic and everyone needs to know that…”. On October 10, the men returned home to host Cal Tech. The squad was able to build upon their strong effort in the prior game, cruising to a convincing 4-0 victory. The team controlled the play for most of the game, leading to numerous scoring opportunities. Freshman Elijah Price gave himself a birthday gift by scoring SUA’s first goal. Price was really in great form in this match, lifting the entire team to another level. Junior Marco Timm scored the second goal of the game on a great assist from fellow junior Marco O’Campo. Timm added another goal in the second half on a great shot into the corner of the net. And junior Andy Tran finished off the scoring by putting away a rebound with a nice one-touch volley. The scoring outburst in this match was a well-deserved result of all the hard work that the team has been putting in. Not to be overlooked, the defense also put in a strong effort in preserving the shutout. Senior Travis Ko filled in for Tim Sasser in goal and made numerous saves to earn the clean sheet. The whole team defended well throughout the match while also making smooth transitions from defense to offense.
September Update: Our Men’s Soccer Team opened their season on August 27 at home against Trinity Chicago. Unfortunately, the team had to face Trinity without 3 starters due to injuries making their first game a tough game with some missed opportunities. Trinity defeated SUA 0-1. The next week they were on the road to face Simpson College in Northern California. Still suffering from an incomplete team, they experienced another loss as the team had a hard time mustering up any type of offense.
They earned a huge win, shutting out Arizona Christian 4-0. To highlight, Sophomore forward Akira Takahata came off the bench to score a spectacular winner along with Junior midfielder Marco O'campo.
In the next round of the Peace Cup, they struggled to put together good soccer in 2 halves. They tried to push forward but eventually fell to Marymount College, 0-3. However, in the final round against Westminster, a top 25 team, they bounced back and played tremendously. They fought hard and fell to them in the last 5 minutes for a heartbreaking,1-2 loss. Junior forward Marco Timm, Sophomore forward Akira Takahata, and Senior goal keeper Tim Sasser put in a noteworthy performance. Although Bethesda walked away with the Soka Peace Cup trophy, our men displayed resilience, strength, and teamwork that will serve them well in the future games to come.