SHAFI!
Glorious goal for Warrior defender in 4-0 romp
By Brandon Petersen
It was a moment years in the making.
Senior defender Ismail Shafi, from Oslo, Norway, scored his first career goal as a Warrior Friday night, putting the finishing touch on Westcliff's 4–0 win over Cal Maritime in Cal Pac action.
The Warriors (4-4-1, 1-1 Cal Pac) wasted no time getting on the board, as Mohamed Sidi Haiba struck in the first minute off a feed from Jordan Di Lonardo.
Di Lonardo added a penalty kick in the 28th and also recorded an assist to lead the attack. Di Lonardo stands now just four scores behind Q Hornung on the all-time sheet.
In the 37th, legendary SID gameday student worker Martin Slatsve opened his 2025 account with a tidy finish to push the lead to 3–0.
Shafi then put the exclamation point on the victory in the 80th minute, calmly slotting home to finally break-through in his senior campaign.
His teammates quickly mobbed him in celebration as he earned Player of the Game honors.
Head coach Randy Dodge credited the Warriors for sticking to their work.
"We have really been concentrating on certain little things in training and to finally see them come out in the game was very encouraging," Dodge said. "A lot of guys got time today to prove that they belong on the field.
"Now we just need to start stringing good halves together that coincide with a win. We have had some travel issues in the last 36 hours, so it was really good to see the guys come together."
Westcliff dominated the stat sheet, outshooting Cal Maritime 20–3 and never allowing a shot on frame.
Goalkeeper Fabi Jager earned the shutout without facing a save.
The Warriors return to action Sunday at Pacific Union as Cal Pac play continues.