Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

Next Event

RyanGoldsmith

Men's Soccer

Roadrunners to host No. 7 Air Force and Utah Valley

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. – Fresh off a win over Grand Canyon University and a tie against UNLV last weekend on the road, the CSU Bakersfield men's soccer team will host its first ranked opponent since 2011 as the Air Force Academy enters the Main Soccer Field on Friday ranked seventh in the country and riding a 10-match winning streak. 

The Roadrunners (3-6-1, 1-1-1 WAC) are in the thick of the conference playoff picture after securing four critical points on the road last weekend.  CSUB knocked off the Lopes 2-0 on Friday night behind goals by Tom Shepherd and Ryan Goldsmith and Rodrigo Sarmiento shutout his second consecutive opponent against the Rebels in a hard-fought 0-0 tie.

"I thought we gave the best account of ourselves on Friday night," said CSUB head coach Richie Grant.  "We coped with incredible adversity when we were reduced to 10 men with 30 minutes to go.  The response from our program was exceptional and we ended up getting another goal.  The UNLV game was a game of heart for us.  With the conditions and the heat, for us to show the concentration that we did for 110 minutes was another step in the right direction for our program."

CSUB will have little time to relish the successful weekend as No. 7 Air Force heads to the Main Soccer Field.  The Falcons are the highest ranked team the `Runners have played since they tied No. 1 New Mexico 1-1 on November 13, 2011 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament.  CSUB would go on to advance on penalty kicks.  Air Force is also the highest-ranked team CSUB has hosted since October 23 of that season when the Lobos were ranked No. 5 and beat the `Runners 2-0. 

CSUB's last victory over a ranked team came on September 23, 2012 when it beat No. 19 UC Riverside 2-0.  The last home win over a ranked foe happened a year earlier when the `Runners started off the season with a 1-0 shutout over No. 8 UC Santa Barbara on September 1.    

"We're really excited to have Air Force coming to our campus with the record that they have," said Grant.  "It's a wonderful opportunity for our program to put a marker down for the direction we are trying to go this season.  We certainly have to perform well defensively because we are up against a very potent attack."

The `Runners must make a quick turn around for another top opponent on Sunday when they host Utah Valley at 1:00 p.m.  The Wolverines were picked to finish fifth in the league and are 2-1 in WAC play in the early going. 

Scouting Air Force
Air Force leads the conference in nearly every category as they've jumped out to a 10-1 record this season.  The Falcons top the WAC in points (87), goals (30), assists (27), corner kicks (70), fewest goals allowed (7), goals against average (0.62) and shutouts (5).  Last season, Air Force earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, but lost to Virginia Tech 2-0 in the opening round. 

Tucker Bone and Austin Dewing lead the attack for the conference leaders.  Both players were selected to the Preseason All-WAC Team.  Bone has seven goals and five assists for 19 points, while Dewing has added six goals and three assists for 15.  Luis Martinez has handed out five assists on the season to lead the squad.  Andrea Seazzu has allowed just seven goals in nearly 1,000 minutes of action and has shutout four opponents on the year. 

Series History – Air Force
The Falcons have claimed the last three matches in the series and lead 7-4-1 overall in the 12 contests.  Last season, Air Force entered the Main Soccer Field ranked No. 15 and came away with a 2-1 victory.  Sebastian Mentel gave the `Runners an early 1-0 lead as he scored from 25 yards out in the 18th minute.  The Falcons tied the game in the 23rd minute and claimed a lead they wouldn't relinquish midway in the 76th. 

Scouting Utah Valley
The Wolverines came out of the gates on fire, with 4-0 wins over Evansville and Florida Atlantic and a 2-1 victory over UC Irvine.  After that, Utah Valley lost five straight matches, but have rebounded with two straight conference victories.  The Wolverines will take on California Baptist on Friday before heading to Bakersfield. 

Offensively, Blake Frischknecht leads Utah Valley with four goals and nine points, while Austin Buxton has a pair of assists and three goals.  Buxton also leads the squad with 28 shots.  Zach Maas has added three tallies and has come through in the clutch for the Wolverines with two of them being game-winners.  In goal, Joseph Wheelwright has started nine of the 10 matches and sports a 0.94 goals against average with a pair of shutouts. 

Series History – Utah Valley
With a 1-0 shutout of Utah Valley last season, CSUB tied the all-time series 2-2-1.  CSUB won a defensive battle last year between the two clubs as Jamie Carey-Morrell's penalty kick goal in the 47th minute was the only tally for either team.  Detre Bell made four saves between the pipes to preserve the shutout for the CSUB defense at the Main Soccer Field. 

Education Day
 The CSU Bakersfield men's soccer team is expecting a near capacity crowd at the Main Soccer Field on Friday for an 11:00 a.m. kickoff.  Over 2,000 local elementary and middle students are expected to take a field trip to the CSUB campus to experience a morning at the university, capped by the game against the Falcons.  The tickets were made possible by a generous donation from Mission Bank.  The day includes campus tours provided by Roadrunner student-athletes and members of the spirit squad. 

CSUB's attendance records will both be in jeopardy because of the event.  The regular season record is 2,014 and was set on October 4, 2014 against San Jose State.  The `Runners welcomed 2,207 on Saint Mary's on November 17, 2011 for the First Round of the NCAA Tournament. 
 
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Jamie Carey-Morrell

#4 Jamie Carey-Morrell

D
6' 0"
Senior
Detre Bell

#1 Detre Bell

GK
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Sebastian Mentel

#19 Sebastian Mentel

F
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
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

Jamie Carey-Morrell

#4 Jamie Carey-Morrell

6' 0"
Senior
D
Detre Bell

#1 Detre Bell

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
GK
Sebastian Mentel

#19 Sebastian Mentel

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
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
California State University at Bakersfield Athletics loading logo