Sank Leads Chapman to Soccer Win

Junior Michael Sank scored his second and third goals of the season to lead the Chapman soccer team to a 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Chico State in a Far West Classic second-round game at Chapman Stadium.

The victory was the Panthers’ second straight to open the season and gave them the right to face defending national champion Seattle Pacific in the tournament final tonight at 7.

Chico took a 1-0 lead with 16:11 left in the first half on a goal by Keith Sutton. The Panthers tied the score on Sank’s kick with 54 seconds left in the half. Chapman opened up a 4-1 lead on second-half goals by Doug Neely, Sank and Moi Garcia before Chico closed to 4-2 with Ben Pollock’s score at the 88:22 mark.

“Whichever way Doug Neely goes, this team goes,” Chapman Coach Eunice Bobert said. “I don’t know of anyone else in the country that can play at his pace for 90 minutes. Mike Sank does a great job of being in the right place at the right time. We really wanted this one and we went out and got it.”

In the rematch of Chapman’s 2-0 victory in this tournament at Chico last year, the Panthers took the offensive the entire game, getting off 22 shots to the Wildcats’ seven.

In the other winner’s bracket game, No. 1 seed Seattle Pacific survived a scare from Westmont College to win, 2-1. The NAIA Warriors took a 1-0 lead 16 minutes into the second half when Peter Bourland headed in a corner kick. Mark Faller of the defending Division II champion Falcons tied the game at the 88:10 mark and scored again with three seconds left for the win.

In earlier games, Sacramento State and Northeast Missouri State advanced to today’s 5 p.m. consolation finals. Sacramento got by Southern California College, 2-1, and NE Missouri topped Midwestern State, 5-1.