Phoenix, Ariz. – Arizona Christian University scored the first goal of the match and led for the first time in eight matches this season and survived a barrage of shots in the second half and second overtime period in a 1-1 double-overtime tie with visiting Soka University of America (Calif.).  Arizona Christian is 0-7-1 this season, and Soka is 1-7-2.  Soka defeated ACU, 4-1, Sept. 8, at Soka in the second match of the season.

Arizona Christian plays next at the Rose Mofford Sports Complex, just north of Dunlap and 25th Street, against Bethesda Christian University, Monday, Oct. 10, at 2 p.m., and plays three matches in northern California, Wednesday, Oct. 12, at Pacific Union College in Angwin, at 4 p.m.; Thursday, Oct. 13, at Simpson University in Redding at 3 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 15, at California State University-Maritime in Vallejo, at 1 p.m.  ACU lost 6-1 to Bethesda Christian, Sept. 9, in California in the third match of the season.

ACU junior Sidney Jones (La Ceiba, Honduras/Gatlinburg-Pitman H.S (Tenn.) tallied his second goal of the season at the 19:55 mark of the first half, and the Firestorm maintained a 1-0 lead until intermission.  Besides giving ACU an offensive spark early, Jones proved invaluable when he was summoned by Coach Jonathan Lenarz to replace an injured goalkeeper Jorge Arauz (Las Vegas, Nev./Durango H.S.), who suffered a lower leg injury during a scramble in front of the ACU goal at the 24:32 mark of the first half.

Shortly after Arauz left the match with the help of his teammates, Soka’s Sho Hagihara collided with an ACU player and suffered a facial or head injury, causing a 30-minute delay in the match which finally ended 3 hours, 10 minutes after it began.

Arauz saved one Soka shot on goal, and Jones saved two shots on goal in the remainder of the first half, five in the second half, and one last critical point-blank save at the 102:35 mark of the second 10-minute overtime period.  Soka also had a goal disallowed with five minutes left to play in the second half and hit the crossbar with a shot in the 106th minute during the second overtime.  The Lions totaled 5 shots with one on goal in the second overtime.

Soka outshot ACU, 25-11, and led 10-4 in shots on goal and 9-2 in corner kicks.  The Lions tied the match at 1-1, when midfielder Marco Ocampo nailed a 25-yard direct kick from a 90-degree angle in front of the goal after an ACU foul just 39 seconds into the second half.  Ocampo attempted six of Soka’s shots and put three directly on goal, including one that Jones stopped cold from point-blank range at 102:35.

Senior forward Brett Bowman (Glendale, Ariz./Northwest Christian School) matched Ocampo’s shot totals with 6 shot overall and 3 directly on goal, and nearly won the match for ACU with a shot at 92:16 of the first overtime that hooked to the left of the goalpost and took the match’s last shot at 109:42, just 18 seconds before the final horn.

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