ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Friday, September 29th, the Sonoma State men's soccer team took on the 21st ranked Yotes of San Bernardino in the conference opener. The Seawolves would dominate the first half and outshoot CSUSB 6-1, but an early goal in the second half would prove to be the difference as San Bernardino held on for the 1-0 conference win. The Seawolves offense would finish with 12 shots in the match but some crucial saves from the Yotes keeper would keep them off the scoreboard. Sophomore winger
Patrick Neill led the offensive charge with three shots in his 86 minutes of action.
FIRST HALF SSU 0-0 CSUSB
Once again the Seawolves tactics and technique really shined as they held long spells of possession causing San Bernardino to sit in and defend for the majority of the half. The Yotes made some necessary clearances and tackles but the best chance for SSU came in the closing minutes of the half. Sophomore midfielder
Oswaldo Rojas would collect a clearance from the Yotes backline and then drive towards the endline, beating three different defenders before centering a ball towards the penalty spot. The ball would travel all the way to the top of the 18-yard box where defender
Johnnie Dodge would have a first time left footed attempt. The shot would prove threatening but a comfortable grab in the end from San Bernardino's keeper would keep the game scoreless just before the half.
FINAL SSU 0-1 CSUSB
At the tail end of the 47th minute San Bernardino would strike with a quick goal off of a free kick in their own half. SSU's
Elliot Stanley would clear the initial ball with a header but a Yotes midfielder would pick up the loose ball and make a couple of nice moves to get down the left sideline. From there, he would whip a dangerous ball to the back post where a diving header would find the back of the net to give San Bernardino a 1-0 lead. In the blink of an eye the Seawolves found themselves down but with much of the half to play.
Sonoma State would threaten once again and create a flurry of chances in the final ten minutes. In the 79th minute, senior midfielder
Sean Rohane would earn a free kick near midfield and elect to play quickly with a short pass to teammate
Jose Rios Lara. Rios Lara would send
Lucas English down the right sideline where he would whip in a dangerous first time cross into the six yard box. Freshman
Alejandro Zarate would elevate and head the ball down towards the near post but the Yotes keeper would get to it quickly and push it away for a crucial save to maintain their one goal lead.
The Seawolves would generate three more shots in the final minutes but San Bernardino's defense would stand tall and hang on for the 1-0 conference victory. The game did open up quite a bit in the second half as the Yotes recorded five shots but only forcing one save from SSU's
Jack Chapman. Sonoma State would go on to outshoot 21st ranked San Bernardino 12-6 in the contest and force their keeper to make a game high five saves.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Seawolves drop to 2-4-2 and 0-1 in CCAA play. They will finish off the weekend on Sunday, October 1st against 13th ranked Cal Poly Pomona. Kickoff is scheduled for 11:30 AM and you can stream the game live on the CCAA Network. Live stats and ticket links can be found at sonomaseawolves.com.
Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. Sonoma State athletics also has launched a new fan app in partnership with From Now On. Download the free app today in both the Apple and Google Play stores by searching Sonoma State Seawolves in the app store. @SonomaSeawolves | #NomaNation
