Cougar Soccer Comes Away with Pair of Wins at Chapman
10/12/2007

Box Score (Women)
Box Score (Men)

Friday was a good night for Coach Ron Pulvers’ soccer program, as both the men’s and women’s team came away with big wins at Chapman College.  The men kept their hopes for a .500 season alive with a convincing 3-0 victory, while the women boosted their playoff chances with a 1-0 win.

The Cougar men, now 5-8 on the season, returned from a three week break in very strong fashion.  In what has been an up-and-down year by any standard, the squad has never lost its spirit and was clearly ready to play Friday night.

Things got off to a fortunate start for the Cougars, as Chapman helped them out with an own goal in the 17^th minute, making the game 1-0.  That score would persist through the half, as CSUSM’s suffocating defense prevented Chapman from generating many chances.  Cougar keeper Tashi Nakanishi was tested just once en route to earning his second shutout in Cougar blue.

As the second half began, the Cougars would waste no time in stretching their lead.  Midfielder Bradley Seidenglanz found the back of the net off of a Brian Luhrs pass, making the score 2-0.  For Seidenglanz, the team’s 2006 leading goal scorer, it was just his second tally of the 2007 season.

The win would be hammered down in the 87^th minute, as Curtis Marcikic knocked in his team-leading 5th goal, courtesy of Felix Gonzalez-Dalmas.  The 3-0 victory is among the Cougar men’s most impressive of the season; and on Saturday they’ll look to do something they haven’t been able to accomplish yet this season – win back-to-back games.

It’s a different story for the Cougar women, who came into this game fresh off of Wednesday’s victory at La Sierra, and whose playoff hopes are still very much alive.  Facing a 6-5-2 Chapman squad, CSUSM had a chance to bring its own record to .500 – and the women capitalized.

In what was a tightly played contest, neither team could get on the scoreboard until well into the second half.  The teams combined for just 7 shots in the first 45 minutes before the game opened up a bit in the second.  Cougar keeper Jane Drury made 4 total saves to earn her fourth shutout of the year.

The game’s loan goal – an unassisted effort by Randi Leyva – was tallied in the 78^th minute.  For Leyva, the goal ties her for the team lead with three.  Until that point, the Cougars’ main source of offense had been Katelyn Krauss, who took 7 of the team’s 10 shots on the game.