Riverside, Calif. – La Sierra University scored four goals in the first half and outshot Arizona Christian University, 21-6, in its 7-0 Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) conference men's soccer victory in Riverside, Saturday, August 27.

Arizona Christian (0-1, 0-1 A.I.I.) opened its 2011 season with an experienced new coach, Jonathan Lenarz, and was competing against a La Sierra squad (2-0, 1-0 A.I.I.) that had already upset the number four team in the NAIA national coaches' poll, Vanguard University (Calif.), 2-1, on Aug. 24.

Lenarz credited the opponent, La Sierra, commenting, “They are a very solid team from top to bottom.”  But Lenarz noted that the defensive effort “was better than the score indicates.  We did well when we had numbers behind the ball.”

La Sierra outshot ACU, 11-1, and put nine shots directly on goal against sophomore goalkeeper Jorge Arauz (Las Vegas, Nev./Durango H.S.) in the first half, finding the back of the net four times.  The Golden Eagles then opened the second half with three goals in the first 13 minutes for a 7-0 lead and outshot the Firestorm, 10-5, in the second half with six shots on goal.  Arauz totaled eight saves on 15 shots on goal for ACU, while La Sierra goalkeepers Gabriel Esqueda, who played the first 58:15 of the match, and Peter Martinez combined for 3 saves.  La Sierra also enjoyed a 4-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Junior forward Tyler Cotton (Peoria, Ariz./Sunrise Mountain H.S./Mesa CC), an NCCAA All-West Region first team midfielder last season and one of this season's team captains, finished with four of ACU's six shots and two of its three shots on goal.  Coach Lenarz praised Cotton, saying, “Tyler did a good job of getting the new forwards in our line-up involved in the attack and ended up with some shots for himself.”

Midfielder Luis Escamilla scored LSU's third goal at 35:39 of the first half on a corner kick play, assisted by Diego Fontes, and then assisted on the fifth goal by Kenny Bonanken at 47:36 early in the second half, and scored the seventh goal of the match at 57:55.  Midfielder David Nolan assisted on LSU's first two goals of the match, scored at 13:26 by Shane Shelton and at 31:02 by Jonas Ornelas.  Solis scored LSU's fourth goal of the first half at 44:14, assisted by Fontes, and Fontes earned LSU's sixth goal at 55:53 on a free kick goal to the top right corner of the net.