[Men's Soccer] Delgado Spectacular in Overtime Win

(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) #22 Westmont Men's Soccer (1-2) snagged a 2-1 overtime victory against #17 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) (0-1) in large part due to Westmont's Lalo Delgado – who registered 13 saves on the afternoon. The 13 saves are second-most all-time in a single game in Warrior history. Panchito Castro hit the game winner in the 92nd minute to give the Warriors the victory.

Westmont head coach Dave Wolf said, "We had given up quite a number of goals heading into the game at UC Merced. To just give up one these last two games, I think you'd have to say that the defending and especially the back four has performed better."

Rocky Mountain kicked off the scoring in the 21st minute as Nolan Sherwood crossed the ball from just outside the box on the right side and found the foot of Sky Swenson. Swenson finished the ball from seven yards out past Delgado to claim the early 1-0 advantage.

It looked as if that result may hold up as Westmont's offense struggled to manufacture meaningful chances. The Warriors finished the first half with five shots and two of them were on target, compared to Rocky Mountain's nine shots, six of which were on frame.

Wolf added, "In the first half, my summation to the team was that I thought we completely flipped the midfield third and the final third. I thought we touched the ball too much in the midfield third and weren't aggressive enough in the final third.

"What I wanted them to do was touch it less in the midfield third and be more aggressive in the final third. I think we saw some of that happen in the second half. I thought that we were able to make some progress in that area."

The Warriors came out a bit more aggressive in that final third. That was highlighted when Christian Webb stuck with a play and drew a foul in the box – awarding Westmont a penalty kick. Webb stepped up to take the penalty with confidence and poise and fired the ball to the back of the net giving Westmont the equalizer.

Delgado made a number of phenomenal saves throughout the game, arguably none bigger than the save in the 76th minute when Swenson looked to ice the game for the Battlin' Bears. Swenson hit it with his left and Delgado performed an acrobatic leap to swipe the ball out of the air brining it safely down to the ground.

"They were on a breakaway and a guy cut it with his left. He hit it with a good amount of power. I held on to it because I was just in the moment and didn't want to give a rebound," recalled Delgado. "It got difficult because my defender got in front and the ball popped out of nowhere with a good amount of curve on it. I was happy I was able to make the save."

The score remained stuck in a stalemate after regulation – pushing the game to overtime. It didn't take long for Westmont to close the door and seal the victory. In the 92nd minute, Webb beat his defender on the left side to sneak into the box. He then played the ball back to the middle of the box where Castro came on and ripped the game-winner.

"I saw Christian taking it down the line and I knew I had to keep following my run. Coach Johnny always emphasizes finishing our runs and getting to the box. I knew that if I got there, there was going to be an opportunity and there was. Luckily, I finished it," commented Castro.

The goal gave the Warriors their first win of the young 2018 season. Wolf added, "This is the end of our third week. It's not a lot of time. They have experienced a lot in these three weeks. I think that there have been spots of progress but it's hard to keep believing that if you don't post a win. Winning undeniably plants the seed of confidence and self-belief."

Delgado added, "There was a lot of resilience from the team today. I saw it from the beginning. As a captain, I'm trying to be there for my back four and most importantly for the whole team. As far as the saves go, I'm just trying to do my job."

Delgado's been doing that job well these past few games as he has recorded 22 saves over the past two contests. His nine saves against UC Merced this past Wednesday tied him for fifth-most all-time in a single game in Warrior history. Making this week arguably one of the best Warrior goalkeeping performances of all time.

"We've had some hard video sessions, some edgy training sessions, and tough conversations. This gives us a chance to breathe a little bit and be a little lighter hearted for a couple days. This can hopefully relax us a little bit. When you're relaxed, you tend to play better," finished Wolf.

The Warriors continue their run through four top-25 teams in five games as they face the team who ended their season last year, #4 Marymount, at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.