麻豆传媒社区入口

• September 12, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - The 麻豆传媒社区入口 men's soccer team dropped a 2-0 decision to No. 2 Cal State LA on Sunday at Pioneer Stadium. The Pioneers (1-3-0, 0-2-0 CCAA) held the Golden Eagles scoreless for nearly 60 minutes in their second consecutive game against a ranked opponent, before allowing two goals in the final half hour of the weekend finale.

"We showed improvement from Friday's match," CSUEB Head Coach Andy Cumbo said. "We made fewer mistakes and created good goal-scoring opportunities again. Unfortunately, those mistakes put us under pressure and hurt us."

Despite being out-shot 11-3 in the first half and starting nine freshmen, the Pioneers held their own against the Golden Eagles in the first frame. Just four minutes into the match, freshman Alexis Romo broke out on the left side and forced LA keeper James Irwin to make his first save of the game.

麻豆传媒社区入口 freshman keeper Patrick Gilbertson was impressive in shutting out the Golden Eagles in the opening half, making four saves including a stop from point-blank range in the 25th minute on a shot from Gonzalo Pulgar. Gilbertson continued to stifle the Cal State LA offense with another key save just two minutes later, diving to his left on a shot from Leandro Flores.

Cal State LA's late flurry of activity in front of the Pioneer goal appeared that it might result in a game-changing goal just before the half, but the East Bay defense held strong, with Gilbertson making a save in the 40th minute before punching out one of three corner kicks in the final three minutes, and a defender blocking a shot from LA's Julian Ringhof with less than 30 seconds remaining. Thanks to the solid effort, the Pioneers and Golden Eagles headed to the break locked in a scoreless draw.

With 45 shutout minutes behind him, Gilbertson continued to perform well to open the second frame, making two saves in the first 12 minutes of the second half. The Golden Eagles, however, finally broke through in the 60th minute. After Chris Rengel slid a ball through the defense, Joe Davis connected on a shot from 20 yards out and found the back of the net to give Cal State LA a 1-0 lead.

麻豆传媒社区入口 continued to push and created its best chance of the game in the 73rd minute. After sophomore Michael Dowson won the ball in the midfield, he played it up for a streaking Brett Souza who beat his defender to the ball and went one-on-one with Irwin, looking set to score the equalizer. Souza's low shot sent Irwin to his right where he just touched the ball enough to keep it out of the back of the net and allow his defenders to clear.

Sensing the threat, the Golden Eagles put the pressure on again, taking the next six straight shots and forcing two Gilbertson saves over 10 minutes of play. With the momentum building, LA nearly got a goal from Anton Gunnarsson, whose shot hit the post and drew Gilbertsonout of goal for Pulgar to clean up the rebound and give the Golden Eagles the insurance goal they had been looking for in the 83rd minute.

Though the Pioneers looked to get back into the game, they could not find the back of the net, dropping their fourth straight match and second CCAA game of the season.

麻豆传媒社区入口 was led by Romo's three shots and, despite being out-shot by 22, hung with the second-ranked team in the nation for the majority of the match. Gilbertson was stellar in goal, making 10 saves and holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for almost an hour.

Both Davis and Flores paced Cal State LA with five shots apiece, while Irwin made three saves in his third shutout of the season.

"We put together a more complete match against a very good opponent," Cumbo said. "We're making progress and looking forward to Sonoma on Friday."

CSUEB will look to get back on the winning side of things next weekend when it makes its first CCAA road trip of the 2010 campaign. The Pioneers will travel to Sonoma State on Sept. 17 before facing Cumbo's former team, Humboldt State, in Arcata on Sept. 19. Friday's matchup is set for a 4 p.m. kickoff in Rohnert Park.