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CSUSM Men Win Overtime
Thriller Over Pomona Pitzer |
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It took 108 of a possible 110 minutes, but the persistence of the Cougar men's soccer team finally paid off, as the squad earned a 1-0 win over Pomona Pitzer on Saturday. From the opening whistle, the match was physical and hard-fought. Cal State San Marcos took control of the early play, generating a few quality scoring opportunities. In the fifth minute, midfielder Miguel Jacobo played a ball to forward Michael Nuovo, whose shot was deflected to midfielder Bradley Seidenglanz. With the keeper out of position, Seidenglanz put his shot on target, but the Pomona defense prevented it from reaching the goal. Both teams struggled with completing their runs for the rest of the half, and legitimate scoring opportunities were few and far between. Despite the fans' best effort to energize the Cougars, the pace of the first half carried over into the second. The Cougars nearly broke through in the 86th minute, with Troy Skomra controlling a loose ball in the box and rocketing it off the crossbar. Defender Ben Crouse was able to get to the rebound, but headed it just over the net. Heading into overtime, the game remained a scoreless tie. Pomona saw a few chances in overtime, nearly converting on a loose ball in front of the net, as well as a shot that was stopped by Cougar keeper Trent Painter. With just two minutes to go, CSUSM earned a throw-in deep on Pomona's side of the field. Troy Skomra launched his throw deep into the box, where Ben Crouse won the ball, and alertly slipped a pass to Bradley Seidenglanz on the far side of the box. Seidenglanz knocked the one-time shot past the keeper, winning the game for the Cougars. This makes four wins in a row for the Cougar men, who are an impressive 4-1 in their first season. Their next home game is against Point Loma Nazarene on September 16th at 1:00 PM, so come out and support the squad! |