SAN FRANCISCO – If CSU Bakersfield set out to prove that its rise to the NCAA Division I men's soccer top 20 was no fluke, it certainly made a solid case on Saturday afternoon. Taking to the road for the first time in 2010, the No. 20 Roadrunners played their best soccer of the season and cruised to a 2-0 win over University of San Francisco at Negoesco Stadium to improve to 3-0-0.
San Francisco had high hopes for the season itself after knocking off then No. 9 Northwestern in its season opener on Sept. 3. But CSUB walked onto the artificial turf of Negoesco Stadium and dominated the first 45 minutes of the match before walking away with its third win in as many matches early in the 2010 season. USF dropped to 1-1-1.
“I'm sure there are some who question us,” CSUB head coach Simon Tobin said. “We're a new entity to Division I and we had two wins at home. They might have thought that we caught a couple of breaks at home. But we played on their turf against a team that beat Northwestern and played them out of the park in the first half.”
While statistically the shot count was only slightly in CSUB's favor at 6-5 in the first half, it was in reality the most dominating half of soccer in recent Roadrunner memory. The half was bookended by spectacular goals, starting with a 25-yard right-footed blast by sophomore Ernesto Hinojosa (Tustin, Calif./Tustin HS) that beat USF goalkeeper Brendan Rosland at the far post for a 1-0 lead less than eight minutes into the match.
CSUB kept the pressure on and finally doubled its lead in the 42nd minute on a rocket shot from just inside the box by sophomore Jesus Sanchez (Chula Vista, Calif./Castle Park HS) for his team-leading second goal of the season.
“The two goals were something special – real individual magic,” Tobin said. “Both goals were worth the entrance fee by themselves.”
That goal was the final tally for either team in the match, but San Francisco put pressure on the Roadrunner defense in the second half and actually outshot CSUB 9-6 in the second 45 minutes. But the solid Roadrunner back line and excellent goalkeeping by sophomore Eric Shannon (Valencia, Calif./Valencia HS) earned CSUB its second clean sheet in three matches.
“In the first half, we handled the ball and the lead superbly,” Tobin said. “We sat on the lead in the second half and we were lucky to not concede. But Eric Shannon made a spectacular save and the back line held up. They work hard for each other.”
CSUB will look to continue its unbeaten streak on Thursday when the team plays a 7 p.m. match at UC Riverside.
No. 20 CSU Bakersfield (3-0-0) vs. Univ. San Francisco (1-1-1)
Date: Sep 11, 2010 Attendance: 289
Weather: Sunny, clear, 75 degrees
Goals by period 1 2 Tot
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CSU Bakersfield..... 2 0 - 2
Univ. San Francisco. 0 0 - 0
SCORING SUMMARY:
1. 7:24 CSUB Ernesto Hinojosa (1) (unassisted) - Shot fired from 25 yards beat keeper to far post from left flank
2. 41:18 CSUB Jesus Sanchez (2) (unassisted) - Beat keeper left 10 yards far post
Shots: CSU Bakersfield 12, Univ. San Francisco 14
Saves: CSU Bakersfield 6 (Eric Shannon 5; TEAM 1), Univ. San Francisco 7 (ROSLUND, Brendan 7)
