The Hope International Men's Soccer team (6-2-2, 3-1-2 GSAC) fell to the Spirit of OUAZ in a hard-fought match on Saturday afternoon at Biola University.

Both teams came out strong, pressing forward early in the first half. Lex Leathem of the Royals had a great chance to open the scoring, but his header was saved by OUAZ goalkeeper Jonathan Garcia. Shortly after, OUAZ turned defense into offense, with Joey Vega scoring the first goal of the match. The Royals continued to push, and their persistence paid off late in the half when Andy Cabrera, assisted by Braulio Morales, found the back of the net to equalize. Cabrera had a chance to put Hope ahead just before halftime, but Garcia made another key save, leaving the score tied at 1-1 at the break.

In the second half, the Royals switched to Milton Herrera in goal and started strong again. Gonzalo Diaz scored his first goal of the season, assisted by Bill Sanchez, putting the Royals ahead 2-1. However, OUAZ responded quickly, equalizing in the 57th minute. Despite Hope's efforts to regain control, including multiple shots by Andy Cabrera, the Spirit took the lead with a 73rd-minute goal from Alvaro Hormigos. In the final minutes, the Royals pressed hard, with Emi Amaro, Braulio Morales, and Vincent Lopez all taking shots, but they couldn't find the back of the net.

The Royals fell 3-2 to OUAZ but will look to bounce back in their next GSAC match against the Warriors of Life Pacific this Thursday at Great Park Stadium in Irvine, with a 7 PM kickoff.