2022 WAC Men's Soccer Championship - Match 3 Box Score
2022 WAC Men's Soccer Championship - Match 4 Box Score
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Host and No. 5 seed California Baptist continued its upset streak at the 2022 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Men’s Soccer Championship, blanking No. 1 seed Air Force 2-0 in semifinal action on Friday night in front of an energized crowd at CBU Soccer Stadium. No. 2 seed San José State shut out No. 3 seed Seattle U 4-0 in the first semifinal match of the tournament.
A first-time WAC Men’s Soccer Tournament champion will be crowned on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT on ESPN+. CBU is set to make its first appearance in the conference final, while San José State looks to break through with a title after finishing as tournament runner-up in 2013, 2017 and 2018.
No. 2 San José State 4, No. 3 Seattle U 0
In a battle of high-powered offenses, San José State was the team with the edge in the opening semifinal. The Spartans outshot Seattle U 25-22 in a fast paced contest, with both teams combining for 22 shots on goal.
Ryota Nakashima opened the scoring for San José State late in the first half, striking first for the Spartans at 32:23. San José State earned a penalty just over one minute later, and Finlay Wood converted from the spot to send the Spartans to the half with a 2-0 lead. Anthony Guzman added an unassisted goal on a Seattle U turnover at 85:04, then found himself on the other end of a goalkeeper assist from David Sweeney at 86:25 to complete the brace.
Sweeney stood tall with eight saves in the San José State victory, while Akili Kasim made 10 stops in the Seattle U goal.
No. 5 California Baptist 2, No. 1 Air Force 0
CBU kept the hometown momentum rolling, dominating top-ranked Air Force by a 17-5 shot count in the contest. The Lancers held an 8-3 edge after the opening half but were unable to cash in, leaving the score deadlocked at 0-0.
Bryan Iliohan broke the scoreless tie at 55:05, finishing his seventh goal of the season of the season to put CBU in the lead at 1-0. Iliohan then teamed up with Lincoln Aquino to feed Leo Mendez for a beautiful goal and a 2-0 advantage at 64:39. Nolan Premack earned the clean sheet for CBU with official saves on the night.
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