Irvine, Cali.- The sixth-seed Firestorm drew level with the Hope International in the second half, but a late penalty kick from the Royals administered a 2-1 loss in the opening round of the GSAC Men's Soccer Tournament. Jose Garcia scored ACU's lone goal in the 65th minute, assisted by Aiden Abbitt. Carlos Gallardo, recently named All-GSAC like Abbitt, performed admirably under heat and collected 12 saves.
Score: Arizona Christian 1, Hope International 2
Records: Arizona Christian 7-8-1 | Hope InternationalÂ
Location: OC Great Park - Irvine, CA
STAT TRACKER
Jose Garcia - 1 goal, 3 shots, 1 on goal
Aiden Abbitt - 1 assist
Marlon Arce - 3 shots, 1 on goal
Logan Johnson - 2 shots, 1 on goal
Santiago Ballesteros - 2 shots, 1 on goal
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Though Hope International only took a 1-0 advantage into the second half, they dominated the shot category in the opening 45 minutes, earning a 15-4 differential over ACU. The Royals attempted nine shots before the Firestorm could get off their first. Of those nine, Carlos Gallardo was forced to absorb six in the first 22 minutes of play. Marlon Arce got the Firestorm into the shot category in the 31st minute, striking an on-target ball to the Royal's goalie Milton Herrera.Â
Gallardo picked up three more saves on successive Hope International possessions. Despite this herculean effort up until this point, the Royals' Cristian Carranza finally got to Gallardo and put them on top 1-0, thanks to an assist from Leo Perez. ACU controlled the ball on the offensive end of the field, but could not manage another scoring threat before the end of the first period.
Things began to tighten up out of the break, as the Firestorm were hammered with fouls left and right, including two yellow cards. Despite the early setbacks and lack of possession, ACU was opportunistic when a door opened. In the 65th minute, Aiden Abbitt pinpointed Jose Garcia with a ball to his feet and Garcia gave the Firestorm life with an equalizing goal. It came as Abbitt's sixth assist and Garcia's second goal in the 2023 season.
Gallardo and the ACU back line survived three Royal corner kicks and two shots in the proceeding sequences. The Firestorm tried their hand at maintaining newly conceived momentum, but on-target shots from Santiago Ballesteros and Logan Johnson were repelled by Herrera.Â
Only four total shots were taken in the final 10 minutes, but one was decisive. Following a ACU foul inside the box, Hope International's Colm Cohen was presented with a penalty kick. His strike to the right corner of the goal was true, and Gallardo dove left in the split-second sequence that is a guessing game for any goalie. This dagger goal sealed the Firestorm's fate, the quarterfinal match ending 2-1.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH TED KRZYWIECKI
"It's always hard to see a year come to an end," Coach Krzywiecki said. "Our guys were a chance away from finding a winner, as we have been in multiple games this year. It didn't end the way we wanted it to today but our guys stayed in it and gave themselves an opportunity to get a result. I am so thankful for our seniors and the careers they had here at ACU. We had a great group that I know will share memories that last long beyond this year. Overall, I'm proud of our team and staff for how hard they worked this year amidst some bumps in the road and an incredibly challenging schedule against multiple top-25 opponents. While we say good-bye to this year, there is no doubt a lot to build on for the future."
NEXT UP
A loss in the opening round of the GSAC Men's Soccer Tournament means the Firestorm will not return to action until the 2024 season next fall. ACU finished its 2023 campaign with a 7-8-1 record and Ted Krzywiecki now sits on a 28-15-8 record through three seasons as head coach.
Roll Storm!
