Cal Maritime edged by Pioneers in Cal Pac home opener

VALLEJO, Calif. – Nic Kashiwai scored his second goal of the season in Thursday's Cal Pac home opener against Antelope Valley when Jose Diaz found him racing downfield on a counterattack, which led to a 1-0 Keelhauler lead on the team's first attempt of the night.

As the first half progressed, that advantage nearly grew to three were it not for a deflected header that just sailed past the far post, and another shot that would have beaten the Pioneer's goalkeeper, had it not curved at the last moment and bounced out-of-bounds.

Antelope Valley, lucky to trail by only one goal, entering the final minutes of the first half, swung momentum its way by scoring three goals within a 3:30 timespan, to hold a 3-1 lead at halftime, which ultimately became the game's final score.

Do not let the box score fool you: Even though the Pioneers took more shots and earned more corner kicks than the Keelhaulers, it was the home squad that created more dangerous scoring opportunities than their opponent and kept the Pioneers on their heels for most of the second half.

Cal Maritime will look to bounce back in Saturday's 1 p.m. Cal Pac matchup against the Westcliff Warriors and will return to Bodnar Field that day with a 0-8-1 overall and 0-5 record versus league opponents. With Thursday's result, Antelope Valley will continue its Northern California road trip at 4-4-4 and 3-1-2.