CARSON, CALIF. - On Sunday November 7th, the Sonoma State men's soccer team looked to keep their win streak alive and make a run in the CCAA Tournament as they took on the #4 seed Toros of Dominguez Hills in the first round of the tournament. Earlier in the season, the Toros defeated the Seawolves 2-1 at Sonoma State. Despite the earlier loss in the season, an own goal in that first matchup would change the course of the game and skew the outcome. After going down 2-0, SSU grabbed a goal in the second half and were able to be dangerous and create quality chances throughout the rest of the game showing they were more than capable of competing with Dominguez Hills who were also nationally ranked earlier in the season. 

After a tough start to the season with close losses and a late season loss to Humboldt State on the road putting the Seawolves conference record at 1-5-1, head coach Marcus Ziemer and his squad would kick it into high gear and go on a four game winning streak with wins against Chico State, Stanislaus, East Bay, and SF State on the road to clinch a spot in the CCAA Tournament. Three of the four wins came as a shutout as SSU outscored their opponents 8-1 during that stretch. The late surge earned the Seawolves the #5 seed in the tournament where they would meet up yet again with Dominguez Hills down in Carson in the first round of the conference tournament. 

After a hectic first 10 minutes, the Seawolves would settle in with meaningful ball possession and create some great looks in front of goal. Forward Brian Field struck a beautiful volley first time out of midair on a ball into the box from outside back Miles Hodgson. The Toros keeper would make a terrific reaction save to keep the game scoreless. As Dominguez Hills had a couple of chances of their own, the first half would end 0-0 and set up for an exciting and entertaining second half.         

After flipping sides, the game would intensify. Sonoma State and Dominguez Hills began trading blows as freshman keeper Reinier ter Riet would make a massive one on one stop making himself big and taking the shot off his chest. Forward Brian Field would see another quality chance in the box as he struck a half-volley headed for the roof of the net until the Toros keeper made another brilliant reaction save to deflect the ball up and over the net. Midfielder Sean Rohane started to get behind the Toros back line with clever little through runs as he was able to set up senior midfielder Luis Diaz-Mendoza on a couple of back passes near the 18-yard box. Despite the pressure and quality of chances, the game remained tied as we headed into the final 10 minutes of regulation. 

With a couple of key injuries late in the game and the Seawolves bench getting a bit stretched, Dominguez Hills would finally strike from the right side on a dangerous ball put across the box. The cut back pass came all the way to the left side of the 18-yard box and the ball was put away to give the Toros a 1-0 lead with 9 minutes to play. 5 minutes later, as SSU became more and more desperate and were sending large numbers forward in the final minutes, Dominguez Hills would score on the counter to put the game to bed and win the match 2-0. 

A spectacular and memorable run for the Seawolves would come to an end as they would finish the 2021 season with an overall record of 9-9-1. Marcus Ziemer would help lead his program back to the conference tournament for the first time since the 2016 season. The team's CCAA Tournament bid would be the program's 14th appearance, all of which have come under Marcus Ziemer dating back to 2000. "What a great run for our guys. We played our hearts out and to go on the run we did to get into the conference tournament was nothing short of extraordinary. A huge shutout to our 2021 seniors as well. They put in so much effort and dedication to the program and help mentor and lead our younger guys. They were all huge parts of our team and will be greatly missed" (HC, Ziemer). 

Sean Rohane and Brian Field would both lead the team with 7 goals a piece. Rohane would also record 8 assists to give himself a team leading 22 points on the year. Sebastian Bernal-Santos also recorded 7 assists during the season, a single season high for him during his career. Senior Luis Diaz-Mendoza would add a goal and four assists to his resume as well. 
 

Congratulations to all the seniors and members of the Sonoma State men's soccer team on a terrific and memorable 2021 season. The Seawolves will now take a well needed break before starting up spring workouts and games in the later months of the 2022 spring semester. Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. @SonomaSeawolves #NomaNation 

2021 SSU Men's Soccer Statistics