SACRAMENTO, Calif. – There was good news and bad news to take from CSU Bakersfield's 0-0 draw at Sacramento State on Friday afternoon. The good news is that the Roadrunners earned a hard-earned point on the road against one of their toughest competition the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The bad news is that it could easily have been a win.
CSUB remains in first place in the MPSF Pacific Division after its draw and San Jose State's identical 0-0 draw with Seattle on Friday afternoon, and considering that the Roadrunners are sitting in first place in the division after a pair of road matches, there is little to complain about. But standout midfielder Ken Taylor was sent off early in the second half of Friday's match, forcing CSUB to change styles and look to retain the draw instead of pushing for the win.
“We should have been two or three goals up in the first 45 minutes,” CSUB head coach Simon Tobin said. “We missed some glaring chances. When we played with 10 men, we had to play a bit differently. But we hung in there and got a point on the road with a player down against Sacramento. That's immense. It's a great result.”
It's a great result considering that Sacramento State entered the match as the hottest team in the MPSF. The Hornets were 5-0-2 in their last seven matches including shutout wins over Stanford, Loyola Marymount, and then No. 10 UC Irvine. The draw leaves CSUB with four points in first place of the Pacific Division with Sacramento State and San Jose State two points behind, and Seattle sitting fourth with one point.
Eric Shannon continued his outstanding play in goal, earning his fifth clean sheet after making six saves. While CSUB controlled the match early on, Shannon needed to be great in the second half and the extra time periods when the Hornets pressed forward up one man looking for the winner.
In the end, it was a positive result on the road against a good team, but Tobin knows that it could have been even better.
“It was a quality point on the road,” Tobin said. “But if we had stayed with 11 men, it could have been a great win on the road.”
CSUB continues on the road on Sunday when it will play without Taylor at MPSF Pacific Division rival San Jose State at 1 p.m.
CSUB 0, Sacramento State 0
CSU Bakersfield (6-3-1, 1-0-1 MPSF) vs. Sacramento State (5-2-3, 0-0-2 MPSF)
Date: Oct 8, 2010 Attendance: 243
Goals by period 1 2 OT OT Tot
--------------------------------------
CSU Bakersfield... 0 0 0 0 - 0
Sacramento State... 0 0 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
none
Shots: CSUB 12, SAC 17
Saves: CSUB 6 (Shannon, Eric 6); SAC 3 (Castillo, Cesar 3)
