SANTA ANNA, Calif - The Simpson University Red Hawks won a thriller against Stanton University to seal their place in the final of the California Pacific Conference playoffs. 

A game with a score of 4-4, with two overtimes and penalty kicks, ended in a historic night for Simpson.  

In the first half, the Stanton Elks were on the front foot until a defensive mistake in the 39th minute led to a 25-yard shot by Sergio Garibay, which found the back of the net to give Simpson the 1-0 lead. 

The Elks came back with a goal of their own just four minutes later, as Lorenzo Jacon beat Jacope Trolese to tie the game. 

Nobody could have predicted the theatre that the second half would produce. 

Stanton had Simpson pinned in their own half until the Red Hawks countered in the 51st minute, getting the ball to Alan Gonzalez, who hammered it through the bottom right corner to give Simpson the lead. 

The Elks were pushing for an equalizer, but a key takeaway in the 62nd minute by Simpson set up Gonzalez for his second goal of the game. Much like the first, he put it in the bottom right corner before rushing to the corner flag to celebrate with his teammates to give Simpson the insurance goal to make it a 3-1 game as Simpson looked for the upset. 

Stanton came roaring back and scored goals in the 64th and 68th minutes to tie the game at three. 

Simpson's race looked run, as they had just four shots to Stanton's 36 by the 80th minute. However, an emphatic goal by Jonathen Garcia Virgen in the 82nd minute put them back ahead 4-3. 

But when Stanton needed an answer, they got one in the form of Nikola Kantar, who scored the equalizer in the 85th minute. 

Stanton fired some shots on goal in the final minutes, even hitting the crossbar. However, the game ended in a tie and went into overtime. 

There wasn't much to separate the teams in overtime. Simpson had four shots to Stanton's eight, and both teams seemed happy to play cautiously. Two overtime periods could not break the tie as the game went into a penalty kick shootout. 

"Will it be David, or will it be Goliath?" Westcliff University's commentator said, alluding to their stark differences in records, with Simpson at 1-11-3, and Stanton at 11-1-2 in their first season in the Cal Pac. 

The penalty shootout was next to flawless as Simpson made their first four kicks, and Stanton made their first three.  

Next up was Stanton's Matteo Sala, who kicked it wide right, allowing Simpson to win it. 

Garcia Virgen stepped up to take it and calmly put it past Giovanny Jacon. Simpson completed one of the biggest upsets in Cal Pac recent history. For the second year in a row, the #4 seed had knocked off the #1 top-seeded team. 

A tough test awaits the Red Hawks as they play RV Westcliff Tuesday at 6 pm in the quest to be Cal Pac Champions. 
 

Be sure to stay up to date and follow us at @simpsonredhawks on Instagram, Facebook, and X.