ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Thursday October 14th, the Sonoma State men's soccer team met up with Cal State Dominguez Hills for a CCAA conference matchup at Seawolf Soccer Field. The Seawolves had one of the toughest schedules to start CCAA play as they faced off against Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State LA and San Bernardino all in the first two weeks of conference play. Despite battling each team and having quality chances to win, SSU would come out 0-2-1 in those three matches. Last weekend however, the Seawolves did come out with a split earning three points over Cal State San Marcos in a 3-2 win. SSU entered the contest today with a 1-2-1 conference record and looked to even it out in a tough matchup against the nationally ranked Toros of Dominguez Hills. 

At the start of the match, both teams continued to feel each other out exchanging non-threatening chances. As the Seawolves began to settle in and possess the ball, an incidental own goal would turn the tables and give the Toros a 1-0 lead. As SSU was swinging the ball side to side throughout their backline, outside back Miles Hodgson would receive a pass from the midfield that he would then elect to play back to starting keeper Reinier Ter Riet. Incidentally, the ball would take a sudden hop before contact causing Hodgson to hit a high lofted ball back to the keeper. There, Ter Riet was unable to head the ball away and attempted to use his hands and swat the ball out of the net and simply take the penalty. However, the ball had already crossed the line and a goal was awarded by the AR to Dominguez Hills. 

Despite the terrible misfortune, the Seawolves dug themselves an early hole as they found themselves down 0-1 in the 20th minute. Just three minutes later and SSU still stunned by their own goal, a Dominguez Hills defender whipped in a long curling ball into the box from the left side where it found the head of the Toros lone striker as he flicked it past the keeper and in to extend their lead to 2-0. The Toros capitalized on the swing in momentum and were able to attack the net and put another on up on the scoreboard. With the entire game left to play however, head coach Marcus Ziemer and his group still had time to play and get back into the match. 

The Seawolves did outshoot the Toros 5-2 in the first half as they created some dangerous chances against the Toros defense and showed that the game was far from over. Sean Rohane, Matt Lee, and Luis Diaz-Mendoza all recorded a shot in the first 45-minutes as the team went into the half down 0-2. With the play intensifying in the second half and the Seawolves knowing they needed to score to get back into the game, the energy and urgency was felt and from it came quality chances and clean action going to goal throughout the second half. 

With transfer defender Jason Hernandez sitting out due to a red card in their previous match, freshman Lucas English got the start out at right back and provided some nice depth for the Seawolves backline. Ian Reis would start in English's place at center back alongside Matt Walleigh where the pair defended well and helped keep the game where it was. Sonoma State hit another gear as they began peppering Dominguez Hills and their backline in transition, on the counter, with long balls, and tight combination play towards goal. 
 
The positive play would finally break through for SSU as senior forward Brian Field would get the Seawolves on the board with a solid tap in finish that came from terrific combination play. Lucas English stepped into the midfield on the right side where he made a solid target pass to checking midfielder Luis Diaz- Mendoza. There, Mendoza laid off a perfectly weighted ball to Sean Rohane who then slipped Mendoza through into the right side of the box. As Mendoza spun around the defender to receive the one-two from Rohane, he fired a pass on the ground into the feet of Field who then finished it home inside the six-yard box. A quality team goal would put the Toros on their heels as it became a one-goal game with just under twenty minutes remaining. 

As tensions escalated due to physical play, two red cards would be given, one to each team, in the 82nd minute. The game would finish 10v10 as SSU still needed a goal to force overtime. With Dominguez Hills simply trying to hold on, SSU had the majority of the possession for the final eight minutes and were throwing in dangerous ball after dangerous ball in the Toros box. Luis Diaz-Mendoza had a chance at a flick header in the box from a curling serve on the right side but as his shot fell to the Toros keeper, the clock would hit the 10 second mark allowing for the keeper to hold on, punt the ball, and end the game. 

The Seawolves would fall 1-2 to the Toros in an intense 90-minute battle at Seawolf Soccer Field. Despite the crazy own goal early in the match, the Seawolves fought hard to get back into the game and certainly went toe-to-toe against the 20th ranked Toros of Dominguez Hills. The team will recover the next two days and then drive down to Monterey Bay to face off against the Otters. The Seawolves fall to 5-6-1 overall with a 1-3-1 CCAA record. With their fate in their own hands, Ziemer and his squad still have a lot to play for and will look to go on a run in their upcoming slate of games starting with Monterey Bay on Sunday. 

Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. @SonomaSeawolves #NomaNation