LA JOLLA, Calif- The Sonoma State men's soccer team was able to hold off Cal State L.A., 2-1, in the semi-final match of the CCAA Men's Soccer Championships, Friday afternoon on the campus of UC San Diego. CCAA Offensive Player of the Year Ross Middlemiss knocked in the clinching goal in the 80th minute, allowing the Seawolves to advance to the CCAA Championship game for the second year in a row. The win improves Sonoma State's record to 18-2-2, while Cal State L.A. drops to 13-4-3.

"This was a great win for us," said head coach Marcus Ziemer, "We're a little banged up right now.  Two of our defenders (Jack Jones and Stuart Gallant didn't play due to injuries and Mike Duncan, Ryan Hall, and Nicholas Lombardi stepped right in for us and played great.  Two injuries to the back line would kill most teams, but our depth has really paid off."

Senior forward Nathan Medina started things off for Sonoma State in the 23rd minute of the first half, when he rocketed a shot past the Golden Eagles' goalkeeper to the upper right corner. Medina was set up by Andrew Bailey beautifully, as Bailey collected the loose ball in the middle of the field and dished it off to a sprinting Medina for his ninth goal of the year.

Sonoma State dictated the flow of the game in the first half, out-shooting Cal State L.A. 6-3, with three of their shots coming on goal. However, the second half was a different story.

"I thought we dominated play in the first half, but you have to give CSULA credit.  They came out ready to play and took it to us in the second half," remarked Ziemer.

Cal State L.A. came out aggressively in the second half, out-shooting the Seawolves 6-3. The Golden Eagles found the equalizer in the 64th minute when a free kick was sent into the box where Kyle Hewitt gathered the loose ball and placed it perfectly into a small window in the upper left corner to tie the match at one.

The Golden Eagles had numerous other opportunities in the second half, but Brook Johnson was able to negate any potential goals for Cal State L.A..  He finished with three saves, all of them coming in the second half.

"Our defense was solid.  Brook Johnson, Scott Preckwinkle and Doug Carr all played well," said Ziemer. 

With the game tied 1-1, Sonoma turned to their biggest play maker to come up with the big play. Middlemiss answered the call in the 80th minute with his 18th goal of the season to put the Seawolves up for good 2-1. Eric Lafon sent a cross from the left corner and Middlemiss took care of the rest, chipping the ball over the keeper's head into the center of net.

The assist was Lafon's 14th of the year, which breaks the school's all-time record for assists in a season.

With the victory, Sonoma State advances to its second consecutive CCAA Championship game, and its third in four years. The Seawolves will square off against Cal State Dominguez Hills, who defeated Chico State earlier in the day 5-3 on penalty kicks. This a rematch of the 2007 Championship game, in which the Toros edged the Seawolves 1-0.

Said Ziemer, "We are going to take the day off tomorrow to regroup and assess our injuries.  We'll be ready for Dominguez Hills on Sunday!"

Box Score

GAME NOTES:  Friday's result marked the second straight year that the Seawolves have eliminated the Golden Eagles from the CCAA Championships...when the Seawolves take on Cal State Dominguez Hills on Sunday, it will be the fifth straight year the teams have met in the CCAA Championships...the team set a new single-season record for goals (66)...Ross Middlemiss' 18th goal of the year ties him for third place on the single-season list (Andrew Bailey, 2007)...Middlemiss is now tied with Joel Heffren for sixth all-time with 29 goals...Lafon's assist improves his career record to 32...the Seawolves' current nine-game winning streak is tied for third in school history (SSU won ten straight in 2002 and 17 straight in 2007)...SSU is 1-2 all-time in the CCAA Championship game.