Glendale, Ariz.- After falling behind in the first 18 minutes, Arizona Christian battled all match and finally forced the equalizer when Edwin Meza scored with three and a half minutes left. Both teams fought strong wind all day blowing across the pitch.
MATCH INFO
Score: Arizona Christian - 1, Hope International - 1
Records: Arizona Christian - 5-6-3, 3-4-3 GSAC | Hope International - 8-3-3, 5-2-3 GSAC
Location: ACU Football Field, Arizona Christian University, Glendale, AZ
STAT TRACKER
Meza - goal
Marcos Mora - assist
Aiden Abbitt - 3 shots
Emiliano Vega - 4 saves
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The first 17 minutes of the match saw eight shots (6-2 in favor of HIU)
- Shot 11 resulted in HIU taking a 1-0 lead
- Defensively, the back line of Cristhian Flores, Jake Underwood, Esteban Ardon, and Marcello Bravo De Rueda kept the Royals shotless in the final 27 minutes of the half
- ACU had chances late in the half but shots by Josh Flanagan, Marlon Arce and Jake Dickinson were saved or high
- Fast forward to the final minutes and ACU thought they had tied it but were called offside
- But just over two minutes later, Mora flipped a ball to Meza who sent a shot far post into the right side netting
- The Royals had one last chance but their shot went wide left
THOUGHTS FROM COACH TED KRZYWIEKCI
"I was incredibly proud of the character and grit our guys showed today. The way they fought back from an unlucky early goal and kept their heads in an intense game was special. We created some big chances and our back line and midfield dealt with some of their dangerous attacks really well. Our guys responded positively at halftime and I felt like the second half was much better for us overall. We know every game for us is a playoff game from here, I am excited to see our guys continuing to respond to that challenge."
NEXT UP
On Thursday, Embry-Riddle will come down the hill to face Arizona Christian at 8:00 pm.
