Stanford (2-3-1, 0-2-0)
Cardinal Suffer First Loss to UCLA Since 2013
Two second-half goals enabled host UCLA beat the Cardinal by a score of 2-0 on Thursday evening.
Stanford’s Ousseni Bouda had two excellent first-half chances denied by UCLA goalkeeper Justin Garces. In the 27th minute, Bouda’s free kick from just outside the box by Ousseni Bouda went over a four-man wall and was headed for the top left corner until Garces rushed over to deflect it away. The Cardinal grabbed the rebound, but Garces made another save to end the threat.
In the 30th minute, Bouda made a run into the right side of the penalty area, closely marked by a UCLA defender, and after a series of fakes made enough space to send a shot across the goal mouth, but Garces dove and extended his left arm to deflect the ball into safety.
The turning point of the match came in the 50th minute, when UCLA’s Riley Ferch found Grayson Doody unmarked at the edge of the six-yard box. Goalkeeper Matt Frank stopped his shot attempt, but Ferch pounced on the rebound and was taken down from behind by the Cardinal’s Cam Cilley. Yoni Sorokin converted the penalty kick.
Kevin Diaz put the match out of reach in the 79th minute, when Ollie de Visser played a long ball into Stanford territory. Diaz ran onto the ball and Frank rushed out well beyond the penalty area to try and make the sliding tackle. Diaz went around Frank. Stanford defender Noah Adnan battled him for the ball, but Diaz was able to send a soft shot into the bottom corner of the empty net as he fell to the turf.
Aztecs Beat Cardinal on Roux Golden Goal
Tevenn Roux’s golden goal in the second minute of the second overtime earned #22 San Diego State a 1-0 victory over #23 Stanford. Austin Wehner chased down a long ball from Alex Jaelmof along the right sent and sent a cross toward the far post. Roux, Stanford’s Mark Fisher, and goalkeeper Matt Frank all converged on the ball and Roux got there first for the tap-in.
The Aztecs nearly ended the match in the first overtime, when a shot by Jaelmof in the 95th minute hit the crossbar.
The Cardinal had two excellent chances to score in the first half. In the 17th minute, Ousseni Bouda’s rocket from well outside the penalty arc was headed for the top left corner, forcing SDSU goalkeeper Jacob Castro to swipe it over the crossbar with his left hand.
Just before halftime, Stanford’s Layton Purchase made a short run into the box and made the quick pass to Carlo Agostinelli in the middle; Agostinelli’s roller forced Castro to change direction to grab the ball with both hands.
Over the full 101 minutes, the Cardinal outshot the Aztecs 17-11. Castro made 7 saves to earn the clean sheet, while the Cardinal’s Frank made 3.
Cal (2-4-1, 0-2-0)
SDSU’s Captain Ochoa Scores Both Goals in Aztecs’ Win Over Cal
#22 San Diego State’s Andre Ochoa earned a brace and the Aztecs’ defense yielded few chances in their 2-0 win over the Golden Bears on Thursday night.
Ochoa’s first goal came in the 4th minute, when Laukoa Santos sent in a cross from near the right touchline that found Ochoa perched at the near post; Ochoa’s redirection left goalkeeper Collin Travasos helpless at the near post.
Ochoa doubled the margin in the 66th minute, starting his run outside the penalty area, cutting back to his left and taking a left-footed shot that nestled inside the far post from 15 yards out.
Nate Carrasco had Cal’s best chance in the 78th minute, when he found himself in a one-on-one with goalkeeper Jacob Castro, who raised both arms to deflect his shot over the bar. Shoei Honda also took three shots for the Golden Bears.
Lepley and Silva Score for UCLA in Win Over Cal
UCLA scored twice in the first half for a 2-1 victory over visiting Cal on Sunday night.
The Bruins opened the scoring in the 21st minute, when Grayson Doody stole a short pass from Cal goalkeeper Collin Travasos. He passed the ball to Riley Ferch who laid it off for Tucker Lepley who was sprinting into the penalty area. Lepley’s left-footed blast landed in the top left corner of the net.
The second came five minutes before halftime, when Tommy Silva stuck out his left leg to one-time the ball to Kevin Diaz, who one-timed it into the open space as Silva made his run. Silva shifted the ball to his right foot and fired a rocket from the top of the penalty arc that landed just inside the upper right-hand corner of the net.
Cal got one back in the 44th minute, when Evan Davila received a pass just outside the penalty area with his back to the goal. Davila tried to make the turn, shifted to his right, and sent a short ball to Shoei Honda, who hit a one-timer with his left foot that skidded along the ground before settling inside the far post.
The Bruins outshot the Golden Bears 11-1 in the second half and maintained a 16-4 advantage overall.
The Bruins’ Jose Contell had one of the best chances of the second half in the 69th minute, as Andrew Paoli sent in a cross from beyond the penalty area. Contell slid to make contact with the ball, but Travasos was able to deflect it away.
Cal lone shot in the second half came in the 70th minute on a long range effort by Alonzo del Mundo that forced goalkeeper Justin Garces to make his only save of the match.
Travasos made two key saves in the final minutes to keep Cal in the match, including diving to stop a Lepley volley in the 83rd minute and deflecting an 89th minute strike from Ferch over the endline for a corner kick.
Saint Mary’s (5-3)
Gaels Survive Shootout with San Jose State
The Gaels scored two unanswered goals in the final 3 minutes to claim a 4-2 home victory over San José State last Monday afternoon. The offensive explosion came after both clubs had been shut out in their previous matches.
The Spartans got on board first, in the 7th minute, when Carlos Gomez-Zavala sent in a cross from near the right touchline. Three players converged on the ball at the near post: the Spartans’ Kameron Bolden, Gaels defender Christian Engmann and goalkeeper Kash Oladapo, but the ball went through to Kasper Poulsgaard who redirected the ball into the Gaels’ net with his right foot.
The Gaels’ tying goal in the 35th minute was an example of the chaos that can be created when the ball is loose in the box. Spartans’ goalkeeper David Sweeney came out to try and snag a Gaels’ corner kick, Engmann grabbed the loose ball, but Sweeney was able to smother one shot from point blank range, then another. Andrew Rotter pounced on the rebound; Sweeney stopped his effort, but the rebound went straight to Bourdanne Ngongfor, whose shot went into the net as he fell to the turf and several Spartan defenders stood helplessly near the goal line.
The Gaels took the lead 12 minutes into the second half. Riley Lynch stole a pass intended for the Spartans’ Max Allen and played a two-man game with Gael Quintero. Lynch made his run into the box, crossed the ball over to his left foot, then switched it back to his right, making enough room to chip the ball over Sweeney’s head with tremendous backspin from a difficult angle.
The Spartans nearly tied the match in the 60th minute, when Omar Lemus made a run from near the touchline into the box, taking on three Saint Mary’s defenders. His shot from just outside the 6 yard box was on target, but Oladapo made a diving stop to deflect the ball over the endline. Lemus also had another shot from the left side in the 75th minute, but Oladapo stood tall and deflected it away for a corner.
The Spartans evened the match again in the 79th minute when Julian Boyce was fouled just outside the box. Max Allen’s free kick curled over the five-man wall and inside the near post, as Oladapo scrambled in vain to get back to the other side.
The Gaels’ game-winner came two minutes and 27 seconds prior to the end of regulation time. Louis Sterobo sent in a long ball over the midfield stripe to Philippe Van der Lof. Sweeney rushed out to the edge of the area to challenge him and tried a sliding tackle, but Van der Lof pushed the ball out of Sweeney’s reach, lifted his right leg, and one-timed it into the net, with Bolden in pursuit just a half-step behind him.
The Gaels added another as senior David Brog made a 25-yard run from his own half and laid the ball of to Jack Vestberg who let go his left-footed shot with 3 seconds left in the match, out of the reach of both Sweeney and defender Eduardo Miranda.
Gaels Fall to UC Davis on Arfsten Brace
Maximilian Arfsten earned a brace in UC Davis’s 3-0 win over the visiting Gaels on Thursday afternoon.
The Aggies opened the scoring in the 15th minute, when Grant Fidler sent in a cross from the right side that Arfsten volleyed into the right side of the goal. The Aggies’ Robert Mejia added another in the 68th minute on a breakaway set up by a pass from Zachary Batchelder.
Arfsten closed out the scoring in the 88th minute, converting a penalty kick.
Saint Mary’s outshot the Aggies 11-3 in the second half, but UC Davis was able to keep them off of the scoreboard. Aggie goalkeeper Derrek Chan recorded five saves in earning the clean sheet.
Gaels Outlast Sacramento State
The Gaels closed out the week with a 1-0 road win over Sacramento State (2-6) on Sunday afternoon, thanks to a penalty kick by Sebastian Schacht in the 74th minute.
Saint Mary’s earned the spot kick when Hornets goalkeeper Ryan Curtis came off his line to collect a cross into the box and collided with two Gaels attackers. Curtis got the ball, but he and a Gael attacker fell to the ground. Curtis was charged with the foul and Hornets’ defender Oscar Govea eventually earned a yellow card for disputing the call.
Up until that point, it appeared that the match might end in the 9th draw in the previous 17 meetings between the two schools. The Gaels outshot the Hornets 4-3 in the first half and the Hornets outshot the Gaels by the same margin in the second.
Santa Clara (6-1)
Late Goal Enables Broncos to Outlast Houston Baptist
Dylan Bartlett’s 86th minute goal enabled Santa Clara to beat visiting Houston Baptist 2-1 on Friday night. Bartlett timed his run perfectly to get behind two Husky defenders as Julian Bravo sent in a long ball from near midfield. Bartlett’s shot squeezed under goalkeeper JP Becerra and took several bounces before settling into the net, as Becerra and other Husky players pleaded for offside.
Luis Poblacion had the Huskies’ best first half chance in the 31st minute on a shot from near midfield, but Santa Clara goalkeeper Andreu Cases Mundet was able to scramble back into position and render it harmless.
The Broncos opened the scoring in the 36th minute. Tyrone Kirunda sent in a cross from near the left touchline. Oladayo Thomas won the battle with Huskies defender Diego Aguilera Cubero to deliver a powerful header that sailed past goalkeeper Gustavo Otero. Otero was later replaced by Becerra after sustaining a second half injury.
The Huskies evened the match in the 50th minute, when Sebastian Cochrane intercepted a pass from Cases Mundet, delivered the ball to Nathan Karmbor, who shuttled it to Bryant Farkarlun at the top of the box for the finish.
Broncos Shut Out Dixie State
The Broncos earned their second consecutive victory over Western Athletic Conference competition on Sunday afternoon, with Jack Murphy and Dylan Bartlett recording goals in their 2-0 win over Dixie State (1-5). The Broncos’ leading scorer, Oladayo Thomas, also recorded assists on both goals.
Santa Clara got on the board in the 39th minute when Thomas stood at the edge of the penalty area with his back to the goal to receive a throw-in. Two Trailbazer defenders stepped up to challenge him, but Thomas powered his way to the six-yard box. Two more defenders emerged. AJ Ciampini and Larsen Rogers were able to prevent Thomas from getting off a shot, so he took a few steps to his left, as goalkeeper Jakob Moore followed him to cut down his shooting angle. Thomas dropped the ball off to Murphy, whose shot from the edge of the six-yard box deflected off of Moore’s right hand and into the net. It was Murphy’s first goal for the Broncos since joining the program last season as a transfer from Fordham.
The Broncos added a second four minutes into the second half on a series of passes that never touched the ground. Thomas’s long throw-in found Eduardo Lopez Perez on the right side of the penalty area. Perez one-timed it to Murphy, who one-timed a cross to Bartlett at the top of the six. Moore rushed out to challenge, but was too late to stop Bartlett’s header as he and Moore collided and both fell to the turf.
Broncos’ goalkeeper Andreu Cases Mundet made two saves to record his fourth clean sheet of the season. The Trailblazers’ best chance came in the 71st minute, when Tony Foulger’s header struck the crossbar.
USF (1-5)
Late Penalty Dooms Dons at Fullerton
Cal State Fullerton earned their first win of the season with a 1-0 victory over USF. The lone goal came on a penalty kick by the Titans’ Sebastian Cruz with 6 seconds remaining in regulation time, after the Dons’ Kevyn Lo committed the foul in the penalty area.
The drama of the moment was enhanced because Dons’ goalkeeper CJ Pycior had previously saved another Cruz penalty 5 minutes earlier. Cruz stutter-stepped, then hesitated, then delivered his shot to the upper right corner of the net, as Pycior guessed in the other direction. And as soon as the ball went into the net, his teammates rushed on to the field to celebrate and the crowd of 1,874 voiced their approval.
The Dons had a great chance in the 32nd minute, when goalkeeper Jose Espino ranged out the edge of the penalty area. The Dons’ Ferdy Ghafury blasted a hard shot that a leaping Espino was able to redirect just enough so that it landed on top of the goal.
Highlanders Overwhelm Dons with First Half Barrage
Roberto Garcia-Vargas earned a brace in the first 13 minutes of the match in UC Riverside’s 3-1 victory over visiting USF on Sunday night.
Garcia-Vargas scored in the 5th minute on an assist from Issa Badawiya, then again eight minutes later on a feed from Jonick Pineda. The Dons responded 61 seconds later with a goal by Gabriel Bracken Serra.
The Dons nearly tied the match in the 83rd minute, but Highlanders’ Carlos Gonzalez made the save on a penalty kick. Gonzalez made five saves in the second half, substituting for Aaron Fraire, who made three saves in the first 90 minutes.
The Highlanders put the match out of reach with a top shelf goal by Adrian Meade-Tatum in the 88th minute.
San José State (2-4-1)
After losing to Saint Mary’s on Monday afternoon, the Spartans played two additional matches this week.
Tritons Earn First D1 Victory, Thanks to Brace by Omar Sabbagh
Omar Sabbagh earned a second-half brace in UC San Diego’s 2-0 win over host San José State on Thursday. The Tritons are joining the Big West Conference this season and the match was their first victory over a Division I opponent.
The Spartans had two excellent chances to score before the Tritons got on the board. In the 22nd minute, Willy Miranda’s strike from 25 yards out sailed over the crossbar. In the 58th minute, Finlay Wood’s shot from distance hit the post.
The turning point came in the 72nd minute, when Sabbagh’s right-footed shot found the back of the net. The Tritons got an insurance goal in the 87th minute, when Jake Serpa was fouled in the box and Sabbagh’s subsequent free kick sealed the victory.
Tritons’ goalkeeper Dominic Peters was credited with four saves to earn the clean sheet.
Tigers Rout Spartans
Pacific scored twice in the first 9 minutes and never looked back in their 4-1 win over visiting San José State on Sunday night. The match was the Spartans’ fourth in the past eight days.
The Tigers got on the board in the 4th minute when Mathias Saether stole the ball from the Spartans’ Josh Redfield 25 yards from goal. He dribbled the ball to the edge of the penalty area and laid it off to Yazid Omri, who slipped the ball past onrushing goalkeeper David Sweeney.
Five minutes later, a long ball from midfield found Saether alone with Spartan defender Beau Leroux; Sweeney tackled him hard in the box. Sweeney saved Emory Rapaport’s penalty kick, but Rapaport tapped in the rebound.
In the 21st minute, the Spartans’ Finlay Wood converted a penalty after Andres Rivera was taken down from behind by the Tigers’ Erik Centeno, Goalkeeper Eric Cotton guessed correctly, but couldn’t get a hand on Wood’s lethal strike.
The Tigers padded their lead in the 29th minute, when Mamoru Kamisasanuki started his run from the 35 and laid the ball off to Saether on the right side. Saether’s shot was backheeled off of the line by Leroux, but the rebound caromed off of Spartans defender to Centeno for the easy tap-in.
The Spartans put the ball into the net in the 63rd minute, when Max Allen rushed in to take a quick free kick and sent a long ball into the box that Omar Lemus headed into the net, but the goal was waved off for offsides.
The Tigers closed out the scoring in the 71st minute, when Cooper Riley fed the ball to Omri, who immediately led him with a pass into the open space along the left side. Riley’s left-footed strike ricocheted off of the interior of the far post back into the net.
