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California State University at Bakersfield Athletics

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Tom Shepherd
3
Winner UC Davis UCD (9-9-1, 4-4-1)
1
CSU Bakersfield CSUB (6-10-1, 5-4-0)
Winner
UC Davis UCD
(9-9-1, 4-4-1)
3
Final
1
CSU Bakersfield CSUB
(6-10-1, 5-4-0)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UC Davis UCD 2 1 3
CSU Bakersfield CSUB 1 0 1

Game Recap: Men's Soccer |

Roadrunners Fall in Big West Playoff Opener

Bakersfield, Calif. – Senior Tom Shepherd scored in the 18th minute to give CSU Bakersfield an early lead, but fifth-seeded UC Davis scored three unanswered goals to bounce the fourth-seeded Roadrunners from the Big West Championship tournament Wednesday night at the Main Soccer Field.
 
"Davis was very good and deserved to advance," said CSUB Head Coach Richie Grant. "In the moment there is disappointment, because so much energy went into getting here tonight, but we've established a good foundation for ourselves in the Big West and that will set us up well for our future in the league."
 
Picked to finish last before the season began, the `Runners earned the fourth seed and a home playoff game on the strength of a 5-3-0 record in conference play this season. After a slow start to the year, CSUB won six of 10 to close out the regular season.
 
Robert Mejia scored twice for the Aggies who now advance to play top-seeded UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
 
Senior Aodhan O'Hara assisted on Shepherd's go-ahead goal and finishes the season as Bakersfield's leading scorer with five goals, two assists and 12 points.
 
Shepherd closes out the year tied for second on the club with four goals, three coming against UC Davis. Captain Carlos Armendariz also scored four times on the season.
 
"I thought our intensity was good throughout, but we made some mistakes and it's the little things that win and lose games at this level," said Armendariz. "It's still a special season. We got off to a slow start, but we turned things around and showed that we have a special group."
 
21 of Bakersfield's 26 rostered players is eligible to return for the 2022 campaign, CSUB's second full season in the Big West.
 
How it Happened:
18 | Shepherd opened the scoring with a carbon copy of his regular-season goal against the Aggies in the 18th minute. The senior from Cheshire, England took a long crossing pass from O'Hara, beat his man on the right side and blasted a top corner shot across the goal.
33 | Max Glasser made a run up the right wing before slotting a cross onto the foot of Mejia at the back post. Mejia's one touch volley beat Pengelly into the lower left corner to even the score.
37 | Midfielder Grant Fidler turned an innocent looking rush into a second UC Davis goal when he made a deft pass through the `Runner line to Arfsten. Arfsten made no mistake finishing precisely into the low, left corner for a 2-1 Aggie lead.  
64 | Mejia grabbed his second of the night when he closed out a give-and-go with Arfsten at the top of the six-yard box, putting a shot back against the grain and past Pengelly.
 
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