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Cougar Women Lose Close One,
Cougar Men Blown Out at CSULA |
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Box Score (Women) It was a rough night in Los Angeles for the CSUSM men’s and women’s soccer teams, as both squads lost their games against Cal State University Los Angeles. But the teams lost in very different fashions. The Cougar women played CSULA tight, eventually losing 2-1 in a game that could’ve went either way. The men, however, were overmatched by the #11 ranked team in NCAA Division II, falling 5-1. In the women’s match, both teams played conservatively in the first half, as the well-coached defenses dominated. Just five total shots were taken – all by CSULA – and the game was scoreless going into halftime. The action picked up, however, soon after the second half began. Just three minutes in, CSULA’s Khadijah Greenwood broke the tie and gave her squad the lead. The Cougars would answers 8 minutes later, as freshman Katelyn Krauss slid a pass behind the defense to forward Randi Leyva, who beat the keeper to tie the game at one. It was Leyva’s second goal of the season, and Krauss’ first point in Cougar blue. But in the 68th minute, CSULA would strike back and take the lead for good. Amanda Mathews hit a free kick into the box, where it found the head of Amber De Seriere, who flicked it past Cougar keeper Jane Drury. Despite the Cougars’ best efforts and a furious late-game charge, they couldn’t catch any breaks and the 2-1 score would hold. Still, it was once again a solid effort from the women’s squad. “The pieces of the puzzle are in place,” commented assistant coach Bobby Renneisen. “It’s just a matter of executing the details.” For the Cougar men, however, it’s going to take a little more work. In a game that they weren’t in for long, CSUSM gave up a goal in the 6th minute, then three more in a four-minute span just before the first half ended. CSULA’s blitz would continue into the second half, as they added a goal in the 61st minute to make the score 5-0. The Cougars would finally break through in the 72nd, thanks to a Brian Luhrs goal off Dan Sims’ pass. But the game would end at 5-1, a disappointing result to say the least for the Cougars. “We were a mess,” said Renneisen. “We look very good in training, but we’re not translating that to the games.” The loss drops the Cougar men to 1-3 on the season, while the women are now 1-2-1. As the season progresses, expect both squads to turn the corner. For the women, it’s a matter of mastering some of the nuances of the game and simply getting more breaks. For the men, the issue is adjusting to a much more difficult schedule, and carrying the discipline they show in practice over to their games.
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