Behind the first hat trick in Park Gilbert history, Nicklaus Sullivan led the Park University Gilbert men's soccer team to a 3-0 regular season finale win over Saint Katherine.
Despite being the Buccaneers' premier goal scorer, Sullivan's collegiate career had not seen a three-goal performance going into today's contest. With an assist from Adrian Silva in the 63rd minute, he added a hat trick to his list of accomplishments. 15 minutes before that, he took a pass from Johnny Perez around midfield all the way to the box for a score; his first came just ten minutes in when he put a pass from Connor Donnellan into the back of the net.
Sullivan also led the way with seven shots (six on goal) as the Buccaneers registered a season-high 16 against the Firebirds. Angel Cervantes took a season-high three shots. Defensively, the Bucs controlled possession for the majority of the contest. They held the Firebirds to just two shots on goal; the shutout was the third by the Buccaneers this season.
With the win, the Buccaneers ended their season having won seven of their last eight matches. For the second season in a row, they went .500 (4-4) in conference play and finished with an overall record of 7-8-1 with impressive wins over RV Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) and RV Marymount California under their belts.
Senior Night
Before Sunday's match, the Buccaneers held Senior Day festivities in honor of Victor Sanchez, Erick Gamez and Adrian Silva.
Sanchez joined the Buccaneers in 2020-21 and has been an anchor on a backline that has improved greatly since his arrival. Last season, he was named to the All-Cal Pac Honorable Mention team and earned a Cal Pac Defensive Player of the Week nod. In all, he appeared in 21 matches (20 starts) over the two seasons and was promoted to captain ahead of the 2021 season.
Silva also joined the Bucs in 2020-21 and brought a wealth of experience to a program in dire need of on-field guidance. He played in eight games this season and scored his only goal as a Buccaneer last season in a win over Saint Katherine (3/19).
Gamez, a Mesa, Ariz. native, was a member of the inaugural team and appeared in 10 matches in which he totaled three shots. He was named to the Cal Pac All-Academic Team last season with a 3.5 GPA.
What's Next
Park University Gilbert fell just short of being awarded a Cal Pac tournament berth, but there is plenty of reason for optimism going forward. A winless program when head coach Jonas Tanzer took over, the Bucs now have two seasons of .500 conference play and came up just short of making the playoffs in their first season of eligibility.
Tanzer made big additions last offseason, such as Donnellan, Devan Jorgenson and Ame Imina. Coupled with the incredible play of Nicklaus Sullivan and several other returners, the Bucs accomplished feats that seemed out of reach when Tanzer took over, such as two wins over teams receiving votes toward the national standings. With nine months until they take the pitch again, Tanzer and the Buccaneers eye the program's first ever playoff berth next season.
Notes:
The Buccaneers are now 4-0 all-time against Saint Katherine and have beat them by a combined score of 12-4.
Today's contest was the first time the Buccaneers have shutout the Firebirds
The Firebirds had two shots on goal today; the Firebirds also had two shots on goal in their meeting on Sept. 24- both season lows by Bucs opponents.
