BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Alberto Navarro scored one goal in each half for CSUB, but three consecutive first-half strikes and a late second-half goal by San Jose State led to the Roadrunners' first home loss of the season, a 4-2 final in Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's soccer action Friday.
Bakersfield is now 6-5-2 overall and 1-2-0 in conference play while the Spartans remained a perfect 3-0-0 in the MPSF and 8-6-1 overall.
A called hand ball in the Spartan's goal box just 1:21 into the match put Navarro on the penalty line for the second consecutive match. The junior calmly slotted the ball left while SJSU goalkeeper dove in the opposite direction for an early 1-0 CSUB lead.
From there, the momentum swung drastically in the favor of San Jose State. The Spartans tied the score in the 13th minute when Josh Boemecke headed home a free kick bent into the box by Ricky Dorrego. Seven minutes later Justin Castro sent a long ball up the left side to Nick Cukar, who took it all the way to the endline before sending it across the goalmouth back to Castro who one-touched it past CSUB's Eric Shannon for a 2-1 Spartan lead.
San Jose State completed the first-half trifecta at the 39:07 mark when Boemecke found a loose ball near the top of the box after a corner kick misclear and sent it into the net for a 3-1 lead.
Bakersfield came out with a renewed fire in the second half, but despite numerous efforts, continued to struggle to break into the two-goal deficit. Finally, at the 82:38 mark, a San Jose State foul just outside the left side of the goalbox set up a free kick opportunity for the Roadrunners. Javier Barba sent the ball into the mix where Navarro elevated and headed the ball down into the net, cutting the margin to one. But the joy was short-lived for CSUB as the Spartans countered on the ensuing kick off, putting the nail in the coffin with their fourth goal. Cukar took a long through ball down the left side and sent a shot far post out of the reach of Shannon. Omri Brinner earned the assist on the play.
The match was physical throughout with 36 total fouls and seven cards issued. Both teams played the final 17 minutes with just 10 men after CSUB's Wayne Lampart and SJSU's Boemecke were sent off with red cards during a Spartan free kick. Both players will be suspended for their team's next match.
Bakersfield will look to rebound from two straight MPSF losses Sunday when it hosts Sacramento State at 1 p.m. The Hornets improved to 3-0-0 in conference play with a 1-0 win at Seattle Friday evening.
San Jose State (8-6-1, 3-0-0 MPSF) vs. CSU Bakersfield (6-5-2, 1-2-0 MPSF)
Date: Oct 23, 2009 Attendance: 101
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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San Jose State...... 3 1 - 4
CSU Bakersfield..... 1 1 - 2
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 1:21 CSUB Alberto Navarro (3) Penalty kick
2. 12:18 SJSU Josh Boemecke (2) (Ricky Dorrego) - header off free kick from top left corner of box
3. 25:13 SJSU Justin Castro (5) (Nick Cukar) - long ball upfield, cross and one touch
4. 39:07 SJSU Josh Boemecke (3) (unassisted) - loose ball at top of box after corner kick
5. 82:38 CSUB Alberto Navarro (4) (Javier Barba) - header off free kick from left wing
6. 82:59 SJSU Nick Cukar (5) (Omri Brinner) - strike from top of box after long thru ball
Shots: San Jose State 14, CSU Bakersfield 11
Saves: San Jose State 2 (Jonathan Lester 2), CSU Bakersfield 4 (Eric Shannon 4)
