By: Zach DeMarcus
September 3, 2018
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) #22 Westmont Men's Soccer (2-2-1) saw their offense firing on all cylinders this afternoon against the Golden Eagles of La Sierra (1-2). Four different Warriors found the back of the net as Westmont won by a score of 4-0.
 
Westmont head coach Dave Wolf said, "I thought we came out really sharp and played pretty intelligently. In a game like that, where you have a lot of the ball, it's easy to get into particular ruts. I thought we were good in terms of playing with variety and mixing up the game."
 
Westmont outshot La Sierra 20 to one on the day. No shot came with as much steam as Panchito Castro's in the 27th minute. Castro had just subbed into the game as KC Smith served a ball into the box. A La Sierra defender attempted to head the ball out of trouble but the ball took one bounce towards Castro.
 
Castro hit a one-timer off the outside of his right foot from just outside the 18-yard box. The ball bolted straight to the top left corner and nestled itself in the back of the net to give Westmont the lead.
 
"(Castro) epitomizes a couple things that we don't always have in big supply – aggressive mentality and self-confidence. We've seen it from him long enough to know that if he gets a look he's going to get his money's worth.
 
"That was his first touch of the game. He came on and the ball bounced to him and he let one rip. Goals change games, but I think goals like that – they can lift spirits. Once that went in, you could see that surge through the whole group," noted Wolf.
 
Westmont added another first-half goal in the 32nd minute. Jeremiah Anderson flicked the ball in from the left side to Gabriel McEwen. McEwen controlled the ball with his chest then fired a shot with his left past the keeper for his second goal in as many games.
 
In the 68th minute, Jonathan Romero played McEwen who one-touched it to Lucky Puengrod. Puengrod took two quick touches and softly touched the ball across the goal where it rolled to the right corner of the goal.
 
The Warriors finished their scoring in the 77th minute. Romero flicked a chip pass to a wide-open Anderson on the right side. Anderson finished the ball with his right to give Westmont the 4-0 advantage.
 
Wolf added, "The best thing about today was that we had the opportunity to get out in front and play with a lead. We really haven't played with the lead at all this year."
 
Of his offense coach said, "I think it probably started with our front players taking touches off of the ball in the initial sequences. Christian and Jerry laid some stuff off. Once they get running they're hard to deal with.
 
"I thought we were simpler and that enabled us to be a little more lively. That was the recipe for today. Once we felt it a little bit then we just started going. It was nice to see us active going forward.
 
"Two guys I would highlight are Jonah and Jose (Vasquez). We need those guys. They're good players. They've gone through maybe some early season struggles, but we really believe in them. I was pleased with how they played today."
 
Wolf sent 26 players to the pitch today. "I think that the guys have hung in there, especially those that haven't played very much. The guys were really excited for (those coming off the bench). Our games have been so tough this season, to have an opportunity to get those guys in the game was fun," said Wolf.
 
Moving forward Wolf added, "In some ways, hopefully (today) is a confirmation of the things that they've done and the things they've been listening to. My hope is that they can relax a little bit and play. My hope is that this can be a little bit of a relief for them and they can relax a little bit and get into a nice flow and rhythm."
 
Wolf is looking forward to an open week of training and hopes his team will continue that flow this Saturday as they play host to #21 Corban (Ore.). Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.