BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – CSU Bakersfield's men's soccer team gained an early lead on No. 15 Air Force, but the Roadrunners were unable to hold off the Falcons' attack and fell by a score of 2-1 at the Main Soccer Field on Sunday.

"We have been good at home all year, so we were really up for today's game," said Richie Grant, Head Coach of the `Runners. "When we scored first, that's a situation we have been in twice here on Sunday's and we felt really confident we could catch them again. They are powerful; they are a good team. We were disappointed the two goals were softer than our performance. As well as we defended today, that second goal was too soft to concede."

Ranked No. 15 in all of NCAA Division I, Air Force was caught off guard by an aggressive start from the `Runners. CSUB went toe to toe with the Falcons in the first half and Sebastian Mentel continued his hot play of late, putting the `Runners ahead 1-0 in the 18th minute. The redshirt sophomore gathered a ball 25 yards from the goal and fired a laser to the upper right V for his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

The Falcons came prepared for a battle and responded with a goal of their own in the 23rd minute. Tucker Bone sent a free kick to the low left corner and James Sims' diving header beat CSUB's keeper to tie the match at one goal apiece. The two teams both created chances after that, but the score remained tied at halftime.

The second half continued to be an even matchup between the two squads. While Air Force dominated the shots, most of their chances presented little danger for the `Runners. The Falcons finally broke through and found the net in the 76th minute as Klint Parker's fifth of the year gave Air Force a 2-1 advantage.

The `Runners responded well and had one particularly close chance on a counterattack, but CSUB was unable to get the equalizer and fell to Air Force. The loss at the Main Soccer Field was the first at home for CSUB, which closed its regular-season home slate with a 5-1-0 record.

With a 4-4-1 Western Athletic Conference record and 13 points, CSUB (6-9-1, 4-4-1) is currently tied with San José State for fourth place in the WAC. The `Runners will travel to face the Spartans in the regular-season finale next week with seeds and possibly even a spot in the WAC Tournament on the line.

~GoRunners.com~