SPOKANE, Wash. ? A first half goal by Manny Guzman and a pair of huge second half saves by Steve Trojanowski led the CSUB men's soccer team to a 1-0 win over Oregon State in the first match of the Gonzaga/Nike Soccer Classic Friday in Spokane, Wash.
Oregon State (2-4-1 overall) put the pressure on the Roadrunner defense early, holding a 7-3 first half shot advantage, mainly due to a large number of CSUB turnovers in the midfield.
The ?Runners (2-5-0) had a trio of solid opportunities in the half, beginning with a right footed, 18-yard shot by Manny Guzman that went just wide of the left post. Minutes later, Chico Ruesga took a free kick from eight yards outside the top of the box, forcing OSU's keeper Steve Spangler to make the first of his three saves.
Proving that the third time's the charm, Bakersfield took the 1-0 lead on it's third shot of the match.
In the 36th minute, Towa Manda was fouled carrying the ball down the left flank, setting up a free kick by Ruesga. Ruesga's outswinging left-footed cross was headed by Wayne Lampart to Alberto Navarro, who used his head to flick the ball back across the goalmouth to Guzman. Just inside the left edge of the six-yard box, Guzman headed the ball far post, past the outstretched hands of Spangler.
The Roadrunners took the momentum from their goal into the second half, constantly disrupting Oregon State's ball possession. CSUB keeper Steve Trojanowski had the play of the match, saving a pair of match-tying opportunities in the 70th minute. A poor clear out of the ?Runner backfield resulted in a turnover at the top of the box. CSUB defender Sean Jarvis was then called for a tackle in the box, putting Eugene Ogbeide on the line for a penalty kick.
Trojanowski dove right, blocking Ogbeide's low shot, then also blocked the rebounding shot by Colin Mitchell to keep the lead in the Roadrunners' hands. The senior from La Verne finished with seven saves for the ?Runners, also posting his first shutout of the season.
Oregon State finished with a 13-9 shot advantage, while CSUB had four corner kicks to the Beavers three.
Bakersfield will face host Gonzaga University Sunday at 2 p.m. in the final match of the four-team round-robin classic.
