Mesa, Ariz.- Nicula's two goals lift Firestorm to their first win of the year.

Score:   Arizona Christian 2, Park-Gilbert 1

Records:  Arizona Christian 1-0| Park-Gilbert 0-1

Location:  Bell Bank Park | Mesa, AZ

STAT TRACKER

Sebastian Nicula - 2 Goals

Aiden Abbitt - 1 Assist

Kaden Grub - 1 Assist

Mario Hanna - 1 Assist

Ethan Molter - 2 SOG

Washington Alves Jr. - 1 SOG

Cody Shrum - 1 SOG

Carlos Gallardo - 3 Saves, 90 Min.

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

First shot from Alves came in the 7th minute

Nicula scores off corner kick from Abbit and assist from Hanna at 16:30

Park ties the game at 1 in the 19th minute

Gallardo records 2 saves

Nicula scores again, assisted by Grub at at 70:58

Gallardo with another save in the 82nd minute

Firestorm hold on to win 2-1

Thoughts from Coach Ted Krzywiecki:

"I was happy with our effort last night and level of focus for most of the game. Last night was a really physical and difficult college soccer game. Credit to Park's Coach Tanzer for the team that he has put together this year and the program he is building - they made it really difficult for us. We spoke with our guys before the game about internal and external energy. There were some external factors that made it difficult on us tonight with the field conditions and some physical play. Our guys kept their focus and did not allow the external factors to pull their focus away from competing to the highest possible level. Our service and timing from setpieces tonight made the difference on the scoreboard. Sebby was able to tuck away two incredible deliveries from Mario and KG and could have had a third early in the game. Last night was a game where we had to find a way to get a result - and as we know at the college level attacking & defending set pieces make the difference in many games. There are some positives to take, but we must continue improving this week as we move towards Saturday. We will need to tighten up a few things that gave them scoring chances on the training ground this week. We expect a strong Wayland Baptist team to provide a great test for us on Saturday."

Next Match:

The Firestorm men's soccer team play their home opener on Saturday, August 27th against Wayland Baptist University.  Kickoff at 10 AM.