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Ricardo Soza
Mark Duffel

Men's Soccer

`Runners Host Cal Poly on Senior Day Finale

Bakersfield, Calif. – Picked last in the pre-season Big West Coaches' Poll, the CSU Bakersfield men's soccer team has clinched at least a fourth place ahead of their season finale with Cal Poly, Saturday, Oct. 30, at 7:00 p.m. on The Main Soccer Field. The Roadrunners have won three of their last four, and a Senior Night win over the Mustangs could lift CSUB as high as second place in the final league table.
 
"We're pleased to close out our home schedule with an important Big West match against Cal Poly," said CSUB Head Coach Richie Grant. "It's another opportunity for us to develop and compete within this conference. It's also a special night for us to celebrate our seniors and their contributions."
 
CSUB and Cal Poly enter the weekend tied for third in the Big West standings with 15 points each. Saturday's winner could finish as high as second and earn a first-round bye if UC Irvine loses its regular season finale at Cal State Fullerton.
 
Bakersfield swept a pair of games last week, slipping past UC Davis 2-1 in overtime before shutting out UC San Diego 2-0 on the road. The `Runners have now won six of their last nine games since opening the season 0-5-1.
 
Improved defensive effort and scoring depth have buoyed CSUB's late season run.
 
The `Runners have allowed just one goal against in their last four wins, posting shutouts over Cal State Fullerton, Sacramento State and UC Davis thanks to strong play in the back from defenders Harry Downing, Eric Whelan, Stephon Marcano and Bryson Hankins, and freshman goalkeepers Sucre Herrera and Scott Pengelly.
 
Offensively, Justin Markus, Niklas Roessler and Ricardo Soza have each registered their first goals of the year in the last ten days, while senior Tom Shepherd struck twice in the win over UCD.
 
Forward Aodhan O'Hara (5 goals) and Carlos Armendariz (4) continue to lead the Roadrunner attack, but CSUB now boasts 10 separate goal scorers this season providing a scoring balance that was missing early in the year.
 
The Mustangs matched a season-best with three goals in a win over UC Davis on Oct. 24. Cal Poly has scored just 17 goals in 15 games to date. Emmanuel Perez and Jacob Glass lead the club with four goals and eight points apiece.
 
Cal Poly has won with defense for much of the season, led by goalkeeper Carlos Arce-Hurtado who has played every minute of all 15 games and allowed just 14 goals, while making 39 saves. He sports a 0.88 goals against average and a .736 save percentage on the year.
 
One area the `Runners could look to exploit this weekend are set pieces, corner kicks in particular. CSUB has scored three times off corners this season and ranks third in the Big West with 83 corners drawn. On the flip side, Cal Poly has surrendered a league-high 86 corner kicks.
Saturday's contest will be the last regular season outing for CSUB seniors Aodhan O'Hara, Niklas Roessler, Tom Shepherd, Ricardo Soza and Eric Whelan. A special Senior Night ceremony will honor these five scholar-athletes prior to kick-off.
 
Bakersfield has already clinched the right to host a conference post-season game at The Main Soccer Field this season. The Roadrunners will host either a quarterfinal on Nov. 3 or a semi-final on Nov. 6, depending on the results of this weekend's league contests.
 
Tickets for the Oct. 30 regular-season finale and the home playoff matchup can be purchased online at GoRunners.com and by phone at 661.654.BLUE.
 
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Players Mentioned

Carlos Armendariz

#10 Carlos Armendariz

MF
5' 9"
Junior
Harry Downing

#5 Harry Downing

D
6' 0"
Sophomore
Sucre Herrera

#22 Sucre Herrera

GK
6' 0"
Freshman
Stephon Marcano

#23 Stephon Marcano

D
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Justin Markus

#17 Justin Markus

F
5' 10"
Junior
Tom Shepherd

#9 Tom Shepherd

F
6' 2"
Senior
Ricardo Soza

#15 Ricardo Soza

MF
5' 6"
Senior
Eric Whelan

#4 Eric Whelan

D
6' 1"
Senior
Scott Pengelly

#1 Scott Pengelly

GK
6' 2"
Freshman
Niklas Roessler

#11 Niklas Roessler

MF
5' 11"
Senior
Bryson Hankins

#8 Bryson Hankins

D
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Carlos Armendariz

#10 Carlos Armendariz

5' 9"
Junior
MF
Harry Downing

#5 Harry Downing

6' 0"
Sophomore
D
Sucre Herrera

#22 Sucre Herrera

6' 0"
Freshman
GK
Stephon Marcano

#23 Stephon Marcano

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
D
Justin Markus

#17 Justin Markus

5' 10"
Junior
F
Tom Shepherd

#9 Tom Shepherd

6' 2"
Senior
F
Ricardo Soza

#15 Ricardo Soza

5' 6"
Senior
MF
Eric Whelan

#4 Eric Whelan

6' 1"
Senior
D
Scott Pengelly

#1 Scott Pengelly

6' 2"
Freshman
GK
Niklas Roessler

#11 Niklas Roessler

5' 11"
Senior
MF
Bryson Hankins

#8 Bryson Hankins

5' 9"
Freshman
D
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