BOX SCORE Sonoma State 1, Cal Poly Pomona 0 -- Box Score

ROHNERT PARK -- In a physical, whistle-plagued match that featured 37 fouls and 11 yellow cards, it would be the Sonoma State men's soccer team that would emerge victorious in a 1-0 contest with visiting Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday afternoon, thanks to Taylor Varnadore's conference-leading sixth goal of the season just 1:53 into the second half.  The win keeps the Seawolves undefeated in the CCAA at 4-0 (5-1 overall) while the Broncos fall to 2-2-1 and 0-2-1 in conference action.

"This was a great game for us, we played really well," head coach Marcus Ziemer said.  "The defense was outstanding.  Dylan Stafford played his best game yet, Beau Diaz was great with his feet, Cory Taufer played well and of course, Varnadore was a beast as always." 

"This was our best game in terms of keeping the ball and being patient," added Ziemer.  "We were able to move (the ball) around for long periods of time against a team that sits back and invites you to play the ball in (to their defense) where there's a risk of turning the ball over.  It was a good performance."

While Sonoma State dominated play for much of the game, its offensive success would be halted by a series of fouls called on Cal Poly Pomona, including 15 in the final 45 minutes (24 in the match.  After a scoreless first half, it didn't take long for Varnadore to put the Seawolves on top.  After passes from Nico Spann and Michel Arroyo found Varnadore in behind the defense, the Sebastopol native fired it past Bronco netminder Kris Minton at 46:53 to break the scoreless tie.

The Seawolves remained in control and kept an advantage in every statistical category throughout the match (15-7 in shots, 4-1 in shots on goal and 12-3 in corners), but the offense couldn't capitalize on an insurance goal.  Sonoma State wouldn't need it, however, as the defense held strong and goalkeeper Beau Diaz made one save in his third straight shutout effort (and fourth of the season).  In fact, Diaz and the Seawolf backline hasn't allowed a goal in the last 308 minutes, dating back to Sept. 7 against Cal State Monterey Bay.

"We dominated in terms of possession, shots, corners, but they had some dangerous moments," said Ziemer.  "We played a good team today, (Cal Poly Pomona) are gonna beat some people this year, so it was a good win for us."

Varnadore and Spann led the Seawolf assault on offense, attempting five shots each, accounting for 10 of the 15 SSU shots on the day.  Brandon Cortez led Cal Poly Pomona with two of the Broncos' seven shots.

Sonoma State will put its 4-0 conference record on the line on Friday when it plays host to rival Chico State at the Seawolf Soccer Field.  The Seawolves and Wildcats will kick off at 3:00 p.m.