By Ron Smith
November 29, 2023
 
(KISSIMMEE, Fla.) The defensive effort of Westmont Men's Soccer (10-7-3) shutdown the offense of Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Wednesday afternoon in Pool B play at the National Christian College Athletic Association Championship. The Warriors posted a 1-0 win over the Pioneers to advance to the semifinals. Wayland Baptist (9-7-3) was eliminated from the tournament.
 
The Warriors emerged from pool play as the number one seed headed into the knockout round. In the semifinals they will take on the fourth-seeded Tigers from Central Christian of Kansas (12-4-5) on Friday at noon local time (9:00 a.m. PST). Campbellsville (Ky.) and Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) will meet in the other semifinal game, which is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. start. Campbellsville and Roberts Wesleyan played today in the final game of Pool A, which ended in a scoreless draw.
 
Westmont goalkeeper Brady Highfill recorded his sixth shutout of the season.
 
"We knew coming into the game that we needed to focus on their forward - their number nine (Jamol Williams of Barbados)," said Highfill. "He is really quick and is a great player. He was their outlet. We knew that if we could shut that option down and limit their counter attack options, that we would have a better chance. We knew one of our guys would get a goal. Barrett (Goodman) and Landon (Amaral) did a great job of defending him."
 
"I thought the field made a huge difference today," said Westmont's head coach Morgan Cathey, referring to the Warriors playing on a different field at the Austin-Tindal Sports Complex than they had on Monday. "Right from the start, we could move the ball and get in good spots. I thought we created some okay half-chances in the first 20 minutes, but Wayland was still very compact at the back and wasn't giving much away.
 
"At the same time, you could see in the first 20 minutes, every time we lost the ball was a transition moment and Wayland was so dangerous on the counter."
 
Wayland's best chance to score came in the fifth minute.
 
"It was a ball over the top," described Highfill. "Coach had told me to be ready for balls in behind because that was what they were looking to do. I came out and tried to get in the way. Luckily, (Williams) had to steer the ball around me. That gave Landon time to get back. Landon made a great save that kept us in it."
 
The Warriors' goal came in the 25th minute of play. Leonel Olivo-Ortiz sent a ball from near the left touchline to Aldo Becerril who was 25-yards out from goal. Becerril settled the ball, then led Braeden Pryor with a pass along the ground that Pryor picked up on the dribble at the top of the 18-yard box.
 
Pryor dribbled to the left side of the six-yard box, then shot past the Pioneers' goalkeeper. However, the ball was deflected away from the goal by a defender. Olivo-Ortiz, who had followed his pass to Becerril by running toward the goal, one-touched the loose ball into the net from four yards out.
 
The Warriors took their 1-0 lead into halftime, knowing that all they needed was a tie in order to advance. Winning the game, however, would give Westmont the top seed in the semifinals.
 
The Warrior defense stood up in the second half without surrendering a goal. However, it was tested with 17:50 to go when senior central defender Landon Amaral was issued his second yellow card of the game, resulting in the PacWest first team all-conference player's dismissal from the field. The Warriors played the remainder of the game with just 10 men on the field.
 
"We played down a man for nearly 18 minutes," said Cathey. "For me, it is incredible to see guys step in, especially since we had lost our center back. We hadn't played down a man the whole season. We worked on it before we came (to Florida), so our guys were prepared.
 
"It was an incredible effort from our guys. The two that really were immense in the last 20 minutes were Eric Guerrero and Graeme Jorden, doing everything possible within them to keep Wayland out of the net. The last 18 minutes, even though they were up a man and they were pushing for the result, we had the better chances. It is such a credit to our guys."
 
When asked what he was thinking about the Warriors being down a man, Highfill replied, "Not much, honestly. I have complete trust in our guys defensively. Obviously, Landon is a great player, but there are multiple people that can do the job. Landon has done so much for us, we needed to work for him for that 18 minutes to make up. You can see how much of an impact Landon has and how important he is. The guys put in a great shift, it was amazing."
 
Unfortunately for the Warriors, Amaral won't be available for Friday's semifinal game, since he will need to sit out a one-game suspension.
 
"I think that adversity is an incredible thing," asserted Cathey. "There couldn't be a bigger hole to fill on our team. It is not just the player, it is the person, it is the leader, it is the incredible persona Landon is."
 
Cathey saw a positive in the situation as well. "He gets to rest until the final and he will be the freshest player in the final, which will be great! Our team will adjust. We will have a really good player step in and do what he needs to do in that position."
 
"We think we are the best team here and we believe in each guy to get the job done," said Highfill in reference to Friday's game. "Whether or not Landon is able to play in the next game, we have a ton of great players and we can move on with or without him."
 
To do so, they will have to get past Central Christian who emerged from Pool C by virtue of a 2-1 win over Trinity Christian (Ill.) on Monday and a 1-1 tie with Carolina (S.C.) today. Central Christian is an NAIA school that competes in the Sooner Athletic Conference. The Tigers tied for third in the SAC men's soccer standings with a 5-4 conference mark.
 
Central Christian has outscored its opponents 57-27 this season. Senior forward Johnny Rodriguez of Anaheim, California, who scored against Carolina, has tallied nine goals and five assists. Drew Schrader of McPherson, Kansas, has recorded five goals and 18 assists. The Tigers are coached by Aaron Hoxie, who is in his 20th season at Central Christian.