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Rodrigo Sarmiento
Mark Duffel

Men's Soccer

CSUB Heads to Seattle for Big Road Match

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – The CSU Bakersfield men's soccer team continues its difficult start to the Western Athletic Conference season on Saturday when they travel to preseason conference favorite Seattle U for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. 

The Roadrunners (4-7-1, 2-2-1) are coming off a weekend of highs and lows as they defeated No. 7 Air Force on Friday, but relinquished an early lead against Utah Valley on Sunday.  The victory over the Falcons was the highest ranked team CSUB defeated in school history. 

Ryan Goldsmith has asserted himself in conference play for CSUB.  He scored the game-winning goal against Air Force last Friday and added an insurance goal against Grand Canyon the Friday before.  He leads the team with four points in conference action and has placed four of his nine shots on the net. 

Tom Shepherd continues to be active on the offensive front, with a team-high 13 shots and five shots on goal.  CSUB has also received key contributions from Niall Owens and Niklas Koerber on the offensive end. 

SERIES HISTORY
The Redhawks lead the all-time series 13-8-3 that dates back to 2001.  CSUB hasn't won a match in the series since the 2012 season, a span of nine matches.  The Redhawks will enter Saturday riding a five-game winning streak against the `Runners.  Last season, Seattle U won both matches by a combined score of 7-0 and ended CSUB's season with a 3-0 victory in the opening match of the Western Athletic Tournament.    

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Seattle U was ranked nationally as recently as last week, but dropped out of the Top 25 after a 1-0 loss against Grand Canyon.  This week the Redhawks are one of three teams in the WAC ranked in the United Soccer Coaches Far West Region rankings.  Air Force leads the group at No. 2, followed by Seattle U at No. 5 and Utah Valley at No. 10.  

The Redhawks have one of the top offenses in the conference as they lead the league in shots (99) and are second in the WAC in points (32) and goals (11).  Freshman Declan McGlynn leads the attack with five goals and 14 points.  Sergio Rivas is also a key part of the Redhawk offense as he has attempted a team-high 42 shots, placing 20 on goal for three goals and six assists.  Cody Gibson also has eclipsed 10 points on the season, adding four goals and three assists on 33 shots.  

Defensively, Seattle U allows about a goal per game, but has shut out five opponents this season including WAC foes UNLV and Kansas City.  Josh Adachi has played every second in goal so far this season and was a Preseason All-WAC selection.  Nathan Aune and Anthony Ayala also man the back line for Seattle U and were also preseason all-conference selections.  

SARMIENTO SETTLING IN
Redshirt junior goalkeeper Rodrigo Sarmiento has quickly settled in to his starting role after the injury to starter Detre Bell.  Sarmiento was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Week after shutting out Grand Canyon and UNLV.  He followed up that performance by becoming the first keeper to blank Air Force during the 2018 season.  

After allowing two goals against Cal Poly and San Jose State, the Oceanside, Calif. native has allowed just two goals in the last four matches and has seen his stats rise to the top of the WAC.  Entering the weekend, he ranks third in goals against average (0.77), save percentage (0.840) and saves (21), while leading the league with three shutouts in conference action.  

`RUNNERS IN MIDDLE OF WAC RACE
After five matches in conference play, the Roadrunners are tied for seventh in the league with Houston Baptist.  CSUB has played one of the toughest schedules in the early going.  The `Runners have already played the top three teams in WAC standings, while Grand Canyon is tied for fourth.  The only team below CSUB in the standings that they have played so far this season is UNLV, who is just 1-3-1 after five games.  The combined conference record of CSUB's five league opponents is 15-8-2.  
   
 
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Players Mentioned

Detre Bell

#1 Detre Bell

GK
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Niklas Korber

#10 Niklas Korber

MF
5' 9"
Junior
Niall Owens

#21 Niall Owens

F
5' 7"
Freshman
Tom Shepherd

#9 Tom Shepherd

F
6' 1"
Sophomore
Rodrigo Sarmiento

#22 Rodrigo Sarmiento

GK
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Ryan Goldsmith

#24 Ryan Goldsmith

F
5' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Detre Bell

#1 Detre Bell

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
GK
Niklas Korber

#10 Niklas Korber

5' 9"
Junior
MF
Niall Owens

#21 Niall Owens

5' 7"
Freshman
F
Tom Shepherd

#9 Tom Shepherd

6' 1"
Sophomore
F
Rodrigo Sarmiento

#22 Rodrigo Sarmiento

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
GK
Ryan Goldsmith

#24 Ryan Goldsmith

5' 8"
Junior
F
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