Three second half goals lead Menlo to 3-0 win over Willamette

ATHERTON, Calif. – Menlo College Men's Soccer remained perfect on Saturday afternoon on Wunderlich Field as they got a trio of second half goals, two from senior Ryan Onizuka and a career first goal for freshman Noah Aini.  Alex Coates-McDowall added a clean sheet to the cause as he and the Oaks defense fended the limited chances Willamette had in their attacking third. With the win, the Oaks improve to 2-0 on the young season.

Menlo played the vast majority of the game in their attacking third on Saturday, outshooting the Bearcats 16-4 including eight shots on frame. The Oaks applied consistent pressure in the first half, ripping off seven shots, but were unable to get any of them on frame which led to a scoreless 45 minutes of action.

The second half proved to be an entirely different story as it took just six minutes for Ryan Onizuka to swing things in Menlo's favor. Luis Nunez supplied the buildup and put a nice ball out in front of Onizuka who was able to get it off just before the tackle came from the Bearcat defense. His shot beat the keeper far post and the Oaks would take a 1-0 lead.

It remained 1-0 until freshman Noah Aini made his presence felt in the 72^nd minute. Having just entered the game moments before, Aini worked off yet another assist from Luis Nunez and drove home a clinical finish to make it 2-0. Just six minutes later Ryan Onizuka nabbed his second goal of the year setup by some great ball movement from Jonny Ensch and Noa Kerr. The Assist was the first for the freshman, Kerr.

Now 2-0, Menlo shifts its focus to its first road game on Tuesday when they travel north to take on former Cal Pac foe UC Merced. The Oaks and Bobcats square off at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 23.