SPOKANE, Wash. — Even though it couldn't match the brute strength of the opposition, the Gonzaga University men's soccer team was determined to battle anyway. The Bulldogs' resolve was admirable, but their speed was truly striking — and, ultimately, the difference.
Gonzaga utilized goals from fleet forwards Jakob Granlund and Conner Bevans to race past the bigger visitors from Loyola Marymount University for a 2-1 victory Friday afternoon at Gonzaga Soccer Stadium. The win, coming in front of 663 fans, bumps the Bulldogs' record to 6-2-2 overall and 1-0-2 in the West Coast Conference.
"It was a very physical game and we survived," Gonzaga coach Einar Thorarinsson said. "But we knew it was going to be a physical game. LMU has always been a physical team — they have a lot of big bodies."
Friday's tussle was just the third home match of the season, and the first in two weeks, for the Bulldogs, who snapped a three-game skid against the Lions. Gonzaga's six triumphs so far this season represent the most for the program since a six-win campaign in 2009.
"It was definitely nice to be home," Thorarinsson said, "but more important to get a win."
The physical nature of the game kept either team from really establishing a fluid pace. There were, for instance, a number of fouls and four yellow cards issued.
"If you are not as big as they are, you can't match it," Thorarinsson said. "You try to stay away from guys that have a tendency to play tough. You try to play away from those kind of guys and just fight for the second and third balls."
The Bulldogs first took advantage of the slower Lions (5-3-2, 1-1-1) in the 24th minute of the opening period, when Granlund dribbled past a defender for the game's initial score. Granlund's goal, his second of the season, was set up by Bevans.
"That first goal was a pretty classic counter-attacking goal," Thorarinsson said. "The ball was played forward into space and then it was just Conner finding Jakob."
Bevans, perhaps realizing he could fly by the LMU defenders whenever he pleased, fired three shots in the first period. None found the net, but one attempt came close, deflecting off the crossbar.
The sophomore stayed aggressive after halftime, eventually tallying his own goal in the 55th minute when he outmaneuvered a defender to stroke a ball past Lions keeper Paul Blanchette. Bevan's second score of the season seemingly put the Zags in control.
"That second goal — that was just individual effort on Conner's part and a good finish," Thorarinsson said. "I thought our forwards did an excellent job today of getting behind their defense. We knew we could do that."
The Bulldogs, in Thorarinsson's estimation, failed to maintain their focus following Bevan's goal. Just five minutes later, the Lions' Dylan Seedman produced an individual salvo when he attempted two shots in one sequence. A Gonzaga defender blocked the first attempt, but LMU's Adrian Perez corralled the loose ball and passed it to Seedman for the easy score.
"We had a couple of letdowns, one in each half," Thorarinsson said. "We weren't tired, but our focus just wasn't there."
The Gonzaga defense managed to regroup and, thanks partly to a key save made by goalie and reigning WCC Player of the Month Ryan Caballero, held off the few late charges manufactured by the Lions.
Gonzaga returns to action Sunday when it hosts the University of San Diego in a 1 p.m. showdown. The Bulldogs are gunning for their first win against the Toreros since 2011 after suffering a pair of shutout losses last season.
