FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 20, 2026
La Grande, Ore. | The No. 25-ranked Warner Pacific University men's soccer team continued conference play on the road Sunday afternoon, falling in a hard-fought 2-1 battle against Eastern Oregon University.
Warner Pacific wasted little time getting on the scoreboard. Just 21 seconds into the match, Luis Gonzalez converted a penalty kick for his first goal of the season, giving the Knights an immediate 1-0 advantage.
Eastern Oregon responded in the 15th minute when Taylor Pierce found the back of the net off an assist from Henry Lopez, bringing the match level at 1-1. The Mountaineers then took the lead just before halftime, as Austin Turner finished a sequence set up by Rene Prieto and JJ Gallardo in the 43rd minute to give EOU a 2-1 advantage heading into the break.
Despite falling behind, Warner Pacific continued to apply pressure and controlled much of the attacking play in the second half. The Knights outshot Eastern Oregon 10-3 over the final 45 minutes as they searched for the equalizer.
Warner Pacific finished the match with a 17-14 advantage in total shots and put six attempts on goal compared to three for Eastern Oregon. The Knights also generated seven corner kicks, while the Mountaineers finished with five.
Gonzalez led the Warner Pacific attack with seven total shots, including two on goal, in addition to his first-half penalty kick.
Mario Jauregui-Vallarta added two attempts with one on target, while
Felix Mendoza and
Otto Pasley each put shots on goal after entering off the bench. Nine different Knights recorded at least one shot as Warner Pacific continued pushing for a second goal.
In goal,
Owen Purvis played the full 90 minutes for the Knights and recorded one save.
The conference matchup was physical from start to finish, with the two teams combining for 32 fouls and six yellow cards. Warner Pacific's
Alfredo Jimenez,
Kevil Marin-Mendez and
Bryan Jimenez each received a yellow card, while Eastern Oregon's Christian Samayoa, Austin Turner and Evan Reyes were also booked.
Despite generating several opportunities and controlling much of the second-half attack, the Knights were unable to find the equalizer before the final whistle as Eastern Oregon held on for the 2-1 victory.
Following the match, Warner Pacific head coach
Troy Ready praised the quality of his team's performance despite the result.
"I'm really proud of how we played today. Despite the result on the day, we have immense quality in our team and will build towards being better each time we step on the field," Ready said.
Next Up
The result moves Warner Pacific to 0-1-1 in conference play. The Knights will look to turn things around next Saturday when they travel to Great Falls, Montana, to take on the University of Providence.
The match will be played at Argo Field, with kickoff scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Pacific Time.
