BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – After a seven-match road stretch, CSU Bakersfield's men's soccer team finally got to return to the Main Soccer Field in Bakersfield Sunday afternoon. The Roadrunners hosted Utah Valley in a Western Athletic Conference matchup and CSUB held off the Wolverines for a 1-0 victory and three points.
After the match, Head Coach Richie Grant recognized the momentum Sunday's win gave the `Runners: "I think this was really important for our team. We had been on the road for seven games and it has been difficult. We had a little pressure on us today to make sure we get something in the home conference games."
Grant went on to highlight what his team did well against the Wolverines: "I thought we kept the ball well. We felt that would be important in the heat. We also kept our shape. It's not easy to protect the lead. Sometimes you lose your discipline, but we kept our discipline. What we did really well today was defend set plays well. That was their main weapon and we coped with it and really minimized their chances."
In the fifth minute, senior Jamie Carey-Morrell sent a half-volley rocket to the upper left V, but Utah Valley's Will Wright made a diving save to keep the match scoreless. A pair of crosses found their way deep into the CSUB box in the first half, but redshirt freshman Detre Bell made a pair of saves to keep UVU off the board.
One minute and one second into the second half, CSUB earned a penalty kick on a play that resulted in double red cards, one for each team. Senior Jamie Carey-Morrell buried the ball to the back-right corner to give CSUB a 1-0 lead. The native of Stevenage, England now has three goals on the year, the most of any `Runner.
The rest of the second half continued with the same physical play as four yellow cards were handed out after the pair of red cards. UVU was fouled 11 times in the second half, setting up multiple set pieces in the final third, but the `Runners and Bell staved off every Wolverine advance to hold on for a 1-0 shutout.
Bell, a native of Hamilton, Bermuda, made four saves against the Wolverines to earn his third shutout victory of the season. UVU outshot CSUB 14-8 in the match, but the `Runners had five shots on goal compared to four for the Wolverines. All three of Carey-Morrell's shots were on goal as the senior captain led his squad on both ends in another 90 minutes played.
The `Runners will return to the Main Soccer Field for a pair of WAC matches next week. On Friday, Oct. 6, CSUB will host Grand Canyon as the `Runners celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the 1997 squad winning the NCAA Division II National Championship. Halftime ceremonies will highlight that match, which has a 7 p.m. start time. CSUB will then host UNLV at home on Sunday, Oct. 8, at 1 p.m.
~GoRunners.com~
