ATHERTON, CA – Menlo Men's Soccer came out swinging in their PacWest Conference opener at Wunderlich Field on Thursday afternoon, outshooting Hawaii Hilo and pushing until the final whistle in a 1-2 battle. Despite controlling long stretches of the match and scoring a dramatic late goal, the Oaks fell just short of completing the comeback.

Oaks Dominate Stats

• The junior center back scored his first collegiate goal in the 89th minute with a fearless header inside the box.

• Menlo outshot the Vulcans 10-8, with both sides landing 3 shots on The Oaks earned 5 corner kicks, keeping Hilo's defense under constant threat.

• Senior goalkeeper Martin Fiala made a spectacular save in the 85th minute to keep the Oaks within reach.

• Menlo forced the Hawaii Hilo keeper into 2 saves while pushing numbers forward in the closing moments.

Archer Scores First Collegiate Goal 

The Oaks opened the match with intensity, dictating play in the midfield and pinning the Vulcans deep with sustained pressure. Menlo's early corners and dangerous crosses created several close calls, but the first half remained scoreless as the Oaks' backline stayed organized to neutralize Hilo's counterattacks.

Coming out of halftime, Hawaii Hilo found their rhythm, breaking the deadlock with a quick strike and doubling their lead in the 60th minute. Despite the setback, Menlo refused to fold. The Oaks kept applying pressure, earning five corner kicks and peppering the box with chances. Defensively, Fiala came up big — none more so than in the 85th minute, when he stretched wide to make a highlight-reel save and keep Menlo alive.

Just a moment later, the Oaks capitalized. Archer surged forward on a late set piece, meeting a ball from quick play by Roy Rosenberg and Jose "Chicha" Garcia with a thunderous header to make it 1-2. The junior has only played on the back line during his Menlo career and pulled off his first collegiate goal that injected life into Wunderlich Field. As Menlo threw numbers forward in search of an equalizer and despite the late surge, time ran out on the comeback bid.

Up Next

Menlo heads to San Diego for their next PacWest challenge against the Sea Lions of Point Loma on Thursday, October 2nd at 3:45 p.m. The Oaks will look to build on their attacking energy and relentless fight as they continue conference play.