Men's Soccer Finishes Season With 4-1 Win
October 23, 2006

On Monday, the CSUSM men's soccer team capped off what has been an extremely successful first season with a comfortable 4-1 victory at Whittier College.

Though the result was good, for the second straight game the squad appeared to be sleepwalking at times, failing to generate the kind of intensity it had earlier in the season. It is unclear whether they'll have a chance to reverse that trend this fall - whether or not the Cougars (12-3-1) make the regional playoffs will be revealed this Sunday.

In Monday's game, the Cougars controlled play from start to finish against Whittier, who is winless on the year. Chris Wyatt got the Cougars off to an early lead. In the 15th minute, Wyatt gathered a loose ball at the top of the box, and drove a low hard shot past the keeper.

Whittier answered soon after, equalizing the score off a corner kick. The game remained 1-1 for a good portion of the first half; but the Cougars would eventually prove too much, scoring twice more before halftime.

Fan-favorite Daniel Vasquez notched the Cougars' second goal, getting in behind the defense and tucking his shot into the corner of the net. A few minutes later, Miguel Jacobo hit a long pass that connected with Bradley Seidenglanz, who was left 1-on-1 with the keeper. Seidenglanz slipped the ball under the keeper and into the net, finishing the opportunity as he has throughout the season.

The second half saw more of the same, and while the Cougars only scored one goal, their play was generally sounder than in the first 45 minutes. With the game well in hand in the 89th minute, Curtis Marcikic finished the match off when he volleyed a shot past the keeper.

While by no means the Cougars' most impressive win, Coach Ron Pulvers and his staff will take it if it's what gets the squad into the playoffs. But if not, then the team can still be quite proud of what they've accomplished in just the first year of the program, and the fans can expect even more excitement next fall!