TURLOCK, Calif- Junior Ben Langwith scored two goals to give Sonoma State a 2-1 lead late in the second half but Cal State Dominguez Hills found the net with just 3:13 left in regulation then converted a penalty kick in the second overtime to defeat the Seawolves, 3-2, in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Men's Soccer Championship Final on Sunday afternoon at Warrior Stadium in Turlock.

With the loss, Sonoma State fell to 14-4-4 on the season and Cal State Dominguez Hills moved to 16-5-1. Both teams will await the announcement of the 32-team NCAA Championship field that will be released on Monday.

"This was one of the toughest losses in my career," head coach Marcus Ziemer said. "You have to give (Cal State) Dominguez Hills credit for fighting to the end and not giving up. We didn't do a good job of managing the last five minutes of the game."

Langwith put the Seawolves onto the scoreboard first when a pass from sophomore Trevor Hurst found Langwith charging into the box as he proceeded to fire the shot past Toro goalkeeper Markus Dickerson at 19:12.

The lead held up until John Sherman took control of a loose ball at the top of the goal box where he turned and shot the ball up and over Sonoma State netminder Brook Johnson's shoulder for the 1-1 tie at 33:53. The Toros controlled the offensive end of the field for much of the first half, outshooting the Seawolves, 9-4.

At 63:56, Langwith came through again for the Seawolves when sophomore Cam Vickers served a corner kick into heavy traffic and Langwith put his head on the ball and nailed it past Dickerson for the 2-1 lead. Despite a 12-5 shot disadvantage in the second half, Sonoma State held off several Cal State Dominguez Hills attacks. However, with just 3:13 remaining in regulaton, Brian Alvarez sent a ball into the goal box where Greg Piechota leaped up over the Seawolves defense and snuck the ball just inside the right corner of the goalmouth, knotting the game at 2-2 and forcing overtime.

In the first overtime, both teams managed three shot attempts but neither team could find the game winner, sending the match into another extra frame. Cal State Dominguez Hills controlled the ball from the opening kick, attempting three shots, including the game winning penalty kick at 101:42 by Kevin Gallaugher that went through the outstretched arms of Johnson folllowing a SSU foul on Diego Turaldo in the goal box.

"With everything that had happened during the game, I thought that the (penalty kick) in the second overtime was an unfortunate way to end a game," Ziemer said. "Although, Brook almost got it."

The converted penalty kick set off an on-field celebration by Cal State Dominguez Hills players and coaches as the Toros claimed their third CCAA championship in the last four years.

Langwith led the Seawolves with four shots while Vickers added three. Johnson faced 27 shots by CSUDH but made five saves. For the Toros, Andrew Marinez and Sherman had a game-high five shots apiece while Dickerson needed to make just two saves.

"We could feel sorry for ourselves because we were three minutes and 13 seconds away from a probable number one seed and a home game, but we need to wait for the NCAA call," said Ziemer. "If we are in, we will just need to focus and prepare for our next opponent."

Johnson, Langwith, Hurst, Taylor Jones and Stuart Gallant earned a spot on the 2009 CCAA All-Tournament team for their efforts in the two-day conference tournament.

As mentioned above, Sonoma State will await word on its postseason fate when the NCAA announces the 32-team field, set for Monday afternoon.

Box Score: Cal State Dominguez Hills 3, #15 Sonoma State 2 (2 OT)
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