Garcia’s Hat Trick Helps Lift Firestorm Over the Bucs
Mesa, Ariz. – Arizona Christian men’s soccer put together an offensive explosion Thursday night, scoring six goals in the second half to cruise past Park-Gilbert, 7-1, at the Arizona Athletic Grounds.
MATCH INFO
Score: Park Gilbert – 1 , Arizona Christian – 7
Records: Park Gilbert – 6-4-0, GSAC 3-2 | Arizona Christian – 5-5-2, GSAC 4-3
Location: Arizona Athletic Grounds, Mesa, AZ
STAT TRACKER
Jose Garcia – 3 goals, 5 shots, 5 shots on goal
Elijah Meade – 1 goal, 5 shots, 4 shots on goal
Caleb Anderson – 1 goal, 5 shots, 2 shots on goal
Nathan Tchiakpe – 1 goal, 3 shots, 2 shots on goal
Sammy Kopalyan – 1 goal, 2 shots, 1 shot on goal
Emiliano Vega – 1 goal allowed, 2 saves
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Firestorm controlled the match from the start and continued to build momentum throughout the night.
- ACU opened the scoring just before halftime when Jose Garcia found the back of the net at 39:59, giving the Firestorm a 1-0 advantage heading into the break.
- The Firestorm wasted little time adding to their lead in the second half. Just 1:15 after the restart, Nathan Tchiakpe scored his fourth goal of the season off an assist from Nikarro Williams, pushing the advantage to 2-0.
- Park-Gilbert answered in the 65th minute to cut the deficit to one, but ACU responded with an offensive surge that put the match out of reach.
- Garcia struck again in the 73rd minute to make it 3-1 before completing his hat trick just over four minutes later with a penalty-kick goal. The three-goal performance gave Garcia three goals on the night and six for the season.
- With the Firestorm firmly in control, Sammy Kopalyan added another goal in the 79th minute, converting a pass from Tchiakpe to make it 5-1.
- ACU continued to pour on the pressure late in the match. Caleb Anderson scored in the 83rd minute off an assist from Willy Cortez, and Elijah Meade capped the scoring in the 87th minute with an assist from Noah Arter.
- The Firestorm finished the night with a commanding 23-12 advantage in shots, including a 14-3 edge in shots on goal.
- ACU also held the advantage in corner kicks, 4-1, while limiting Park-Gilbert to just two saves from the ACU attack.
- ACU defeated Park Gilbert, 7-1.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH TED KRZYWIECKI
“Our guys put in a great team effort tonight, I know our group is capable of quality games and moments like this. When the attitude and mentality is right, our guys are capable of a lot. One to build on.”
NEXT UP
Next Saturday, October 10, the Firestorm will head across town to Mesa, AZ and face off against Benedictine Mesa at 8pm.
