Forty-eight hours after defeating top-ranked Azusa Pacific on the road, Westmont men’s soccer found itself facing #5 Fresno Pacific in the semifinals of the NAIA Region II Tournament. Westmont had won four games in a row to get to Fresno, outscoring their opponents 12-1. But Fresno turned out to be the end of the road for the Warriors who lost to the Sunbirds in overtime by a score of 2-1.

Fresno Pacific (17-2-1) drew first blood when Amaury Nunes scored in the eleventh minute on a penalty kick. The ball barely squeaked under the outstretched hand of junior goalkeeper Josh Etherton. Westmont (9-8) evened the score in the fifty second minute when senior Johnny Alcaraz, playing with an injured hamstring, sent a shot over the keeper after receiving a pass from junior Jon Schoff.

The golden goal came just six minutes into the overtime period. Nunes passed the ball from the left side to Pablo Campos in the middle of the field and Campos found the back of the net.

Fresno Pacific outshot Westmont 18-11 in the game (15-10 in regulation) and held a 10-5 corner kick advantage.

Fresno Pacific will advance to meet #10 Concordia in the Region II Championship game on Wednesday. Westmont has concluded its remarkable season.

With 17 new players, the Warriors knew from the beginning that this season would mean a lot of team building. After starting the season 5-1, the Warriors suffered six conference losses in a row and appeared to be a long way from a possibility of post-season play. But on October 17, Westmont recorded a 5-0 win over Biola which was followed by a 3-0 win over San Diego Christian and a 2-0 win over California Baptist. Those three wins earned Westmont the number eight seed in the Region II Tournament and a date with Azusa Pacific on Thursday.

Westmont will lose three seniors to graduation - Johnny Alcaraz, Sergio Hernandez-Leor and Joe Benscoter. The other 22 players on this year’s roster are eligible to return next year to help a team which has advanced to the regional semifinals the last two seasons contend for a berth in the national championship tournament in 2008.

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