By Jacob Norling
April 16, 2021
 
(SURPRISE, Ariz.) The last time Westmont and OUAZ met was in the 2019 GSAC tournament semifinal seventeen months ago. The Spirit handed the Warriors their first loss of conference play by a score of 3-0 on a day that Westmont head coach Dave Wolf said the team, himself included, was not prepared.
 
Wolf ensured that this time around the team would be prepared. And on Friday night in Surprise, the club proved him right. #15 Westmont (7-1-1,5-0-1) defeated OUAZ (8-4, 6-2) by a score of 2-1 to win the Golden State Athletic Conference championship - and it took all 90 minutes to get it done.
 
After that 2019 meeting with OUAZ, Wolf was quoted that day saying the team "did not look like a team that loved each other" at times. When asked if that were an issue this time around, Wolf laughed and said, "I would say there was lots of love on the field tonight,"
 
"I think these guys are built different. Part of that is the crest that they inherit when they come to Westmont. For example, Edward 'Lalo' Delgado was at the game tonight, which is an example of the excellence in our history, and tonight I think we added to that history. We're excited and we're proud to represent all that came before us and hopefully we present a worthy addition ourselves."
 
In the 39th minute the Warriors took advantage of the first mistake by OUAZ all night and put it on the scoreboard. Michael Palmer crossed a ball from thirty yards out to the far end of the Spirit eighteen, and it caught an OUAZ defender with an in-between hop as it ricocheted off of him.
 
The misplayed cross rolled into no man's land and Wyatt Babineau came on to rocket a wide open shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 advantage .
 
In the 68th minute things got dicey for the Warriors when Nick Ruiz and Jona Romero, two of Westmont's four All-GSAC players, limped off the field with some cramping. So with more than twenty minutes to play Westmont was without its right centerback and center midfielder.
 
In the 79th minute Mauricio Ochoa took advantage. Ochoa cut around a tiring Westmont defense on the near side of the eighteen, and with less than a second of a window to get a shot off he deposited a perfect shot in the upper right corner of the net to tie the match 1-1.
 
"For us to be where we were at physically was tough in the second half," said Wolf. "It looked like we had run out of gas. To concede that goal, a spectacular goal, was tough, but to have the composure and togetherness to not give in with those circumstances was just remarkable."
 
The clock kept ticking and OUAZ continued pressuring the Warriors defense as it seemed the game was either headed for overtime or a heartbreaking Spirit goal. But then came the 90th minute.
 
In the 90th minute the GSAC season came to a climax, and the final plot twist turned in favor of Westmont. The Warriors offense had not put up a single shot on goal in the first 44 minutes of the second half. In the final minute, however, one last Westmont push made all the difference.
 
The Westmont charge was led by none other than Sam Tuscano, the club's All-GSAC striker. But Tuscano took a different path with the GSAC Championship on the line, and crossed a ball into the six-yard box that was controlled off the chest of Aldo Becerril. Becerril's touch landed at the feet of Tyler Young who then struck the ball inside the left post, heading toward the net. And with the ball bouncing past keeper Angel Ramriez, on came on freshman Landon Amaral, who had yet to score his first collegiate goal.
 
Amaral then put the finishing touch on a shot past Ramirez with 51 seconds left in the match that sent the Westmont bench into a frenzy. Fifty-one seconds later the celebration continued at midfield when the horn sounded and the Warriors were crowned GSAC champions.
 
"That was one of the most remarkable things I've seen in my coaching experience," expressed Wolf. "It's hard to put into words, which is something I don't usually struggle with. I think the best way to put it is the craziness of the game matched the craziness of the year.
 
"This group just has something special about them. In our team meeting last night we talked about the word 'us'. I tried to make the point that everything was stacked against us this year and in this game. But, what we had on our side was 'us', and that's all that matters."
 
Westmont begins play in the NAIA National Tournament this coming Thursday on Thorrington Field, where they will host three other teams for the Opening Round. Live coverage will be available all weekend on the Westmont Athletics website.