HONOLULU – The Chaminade University men's soccer team completed their four-game Pacific West Conference-opening home stand Thursday, suffering a 2-0 defeat against conference newcomers Menlo College Oaks at Saint Louis Field in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Chaminade, which saw its three-game unbeaten streak snapped, fell to 1-4-2 overall and 1-1-2 in the conference with the Oaks moving to 5-3-1 and 3-1 in the PacWest.
The Silverswords struggled in the first 45 minutes to find a scoring opportunity as the Oaks defense held them without a shot. The 'Swords attack found their way back into the game in the second half taking all five of their shots, with two being on-goal.
To start off the offensive action on the side of the 'Swords,
Hunter Santoscoy (Florence, S.C./Union University/West Florence HS) took a shot in the start of the second half and
Owen Malone (Carlsbad, Calif./Univ. of Saint Katherine/Carlsbad HS) took his opportunity minutes later but both were saved by the Oaks goalkeeper, Martin Fiala.
Later in the match both
Cameron Rozsa (San Marcos, Calif./Univ. of Saint Katherine/Mission Hills HS) and
Ruben Aguiniga (Chula Vista, Calif./San Diego Christian College/Montgomery HS) tested their luck but essentially could not find the back of the net. Aguiñiga attempted a team-high two shots.
Jonah Valmonte (Poolesville, Md./Robert Morris University/Poolesville HS) made eight saves for the Silverswords in his second consecutive start since returning from an injury.
The first goal from Menlo came in the 30th minute, giving them a 1-0 cushion at halftime. Their insurance goal came in the 76th minute from Saul Gutierrez.
The 'Swords will be off for the next eight days before resuming play on the road as they leave O'ahu for the first time this season with arguably their toughest stretch of the season, making their biennial southern California run with four games in the region.
They open their road trip on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Concordia University Irvine at the Golden Eagles Soccer Field where they will be seeking their first win against CUI since a 1-0 victory in 2019 in Irvine.
