At this time of year, all NAIA soccer programs are looking to strengthen its case to get a selection to the national tournament. Shutting out the 4th-ranked team in the country like OUAZ did on Wednesday is a great way to boost those chances.

The Spirit got goals from John Kanner, Hazem Sobhy and Cristian Gennaro to defeat Westmont in the GSAC Tournament semifinals. It is the first win over a top-5 opponent in program history.

Before the trip, OUAZ head coach Matt Gow said his team had missed a couple of early chances in the first matchup against the Warriors. This time they capitalized early, as Kanner scored in the 24', and the Spirit were off and running.

OUAZ did not have to wait much longer to get another tally, as Sobhy banked a shot off of a defender in the 29' to give his team a 2-0 lead. The Spirit would hold that lead into halftime, and Gennaro's goal in the 66' put OUAZ out in front by three.

The shot attempts from both teams came in bunches, but most of them failed to reach target. The Spirt had the 3-2 advantage in shots on target despite Westmont leading shot attempts by a whopping 21-10.

It was the first time in 2019 that Westmont lost to a NAIA opponent. OUAZ's win is a signature one for a program that is on the rise.

"It's a big thing to show everyone we're here, start looking," Gow said. "We get a lot of 'new kid on the block' treatment, so it's wins like [Wednesday's] that start to gain the respect for our program and for the university."

The Spirit will now play Menlo on Friday in the GSAC Championship Game. While the win is one to be celebrated, the focus has already shifted for OUAZ's players.

"Even in our huddle, right when the game was over, our guys are already saying 'let's go, one more'," Gow said.

The game will be played at Westmont's home, Thorrington Field, and kickoff is scheduled for is 2:30pm Arizona time.