BAKERSFIELD, Calif. - Cal State Bakersfield remained perfect at the Main Soccer Field in 2006 with a 2-0 win over UC San Diego on Friday.
The Roadrunners improved to 5-0-0 at home this season and have outscored their opponents by a 12-3 margin in those five home matches. In contrast, Bakersfield is just 1-3-1 on the road as the only team in the CCAA to open the season with five conference matches away from home.
This one was hardly even as close as the final scoreline indicated with Bakersfield controlling every facet of this match from beginning to end. The Roadrunners outshot UCSD by a 3-to-1 margin at 24-8 and looked ready to score at any moment.
That moment didn't come until the 65th minute, though, and Towa Manda decided to add to his already California Collegiate Athletic Association-best five assists to do so. Manda took the ball into the corner and juked his way clear of his defender before sending a perfect cross to the far post where Ryan Gay was waiting for the deflection into the net to break the deadlock.
Even with the score at 1-0, Bakersfield was hardly threatened and the win looked imminent. But in the 84th minute, UCSD was awarded a penalty on a silly foul in the box leaving the match with the possibility of being level with six minutes to go. Kyle Parton took the penalty and actually sent Bakersfield goalkeeper the wrong way, but his shot sailed well right of the goal to keep the score 1-0.
The Roadrunners appeared to go up by two goals just moments later, but freshman Javier Barba was ruled to be offside to take away his first career goal. But just minutes later he scored that first career goal when Mike Esparza passed him a ball backward from deep in the penalty area and he buried the ball into the corner for the 2-0 lead.
Trojanowski was rarely threatened in the match and he made three saves for his third shutout of the season. UCSD goalkeeper Luis Salazar made five saves in the loss.
Bakersfield will look to make it six straight wins on Sunday when the Roadrunners host Cal State Dominguez Hills — ranked No. 8 in the nation — at 2:30 p.m. in the second half of a women's-men's doubleheader.
California State University, Bakersfield Athletic Department
9001 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93311-1022
Phone: (661) 654-3071 • FAX: (661) 654-2376
