Second-half goals spell defeat for Pioneers
- October 10, 2010
CARSON, Calif. – After holding Cal State Dominguez Hills scoreless for the over 50 minutes, the Cal State East Bay men's soccer team allowed three second-half goals, eventually falling to the Toros, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneers (2-10-2, 1-7-2 CCAA) were held scoreless for the third straight game but managed to keep the Toros, who posted a 5-0 victory over East Bay in September, out of the net in the opening half despite facing 15 shots.
"We had a good first half and did well on both sides of the ball," CSUEB Head Coach Andy Cumbo said. "The penalty kick that was called was a big challenge for us. Even though the results are frustrating, we are continually making progress, especially with the ball. There are a lot of games to be played and we're motivated."
The scoreless first half saw the Toros throw 15 shots at Cal State East Bay freshman keeper Bryce Bookhamer, who was forced to make six saves to maintain the shutout in the opening frame. Bookhamer got some help from the Pioneer defense, who blocked five Dominguez Hills shots in the first half. Offensively, East Bay notched three shots in the first 45 minutes, with its best chance coming in the fifth minute when junior Brett Souza's shot forced Toro keeper Markus Dickerson to make his lone save of the half.
CSUDH scored the eventual game winner just seven minutes into the second half after being awarded a penalty kick in the 53rd minute. Diego Turoldo converted the penalty to give the Toros at 1-0 advantage with his third score of the season.
Holding a one-goal advantage, Cal State Dominguez Hills continued to put the pressure on the Pioneers, taking three shots and forcing two defensive blocks and a save from Bookhamer before breaking through for the second goal of the game. The score came off a corner kick that deflected off Bookhamer and found Jordan Rover, whose header gave the Toros a 2-0 lead in the 63rd minute.
Just three minutes later, the Toros put the nail in the coffin, scoring their third and final goal of the game. Greg Piechota notched his third point of the day, after assisting on the second goal and putting away the third past Bookhamer in the 66th minute to put CSUDH up 3-0. The Toros held the Pioneers to just one shot in the final 45 minutes to hold on and notch the shutout victory.
Four players each notched a shot for the Pioneers, while Rover, Piechota and Turoldo posted four shots apiece to lead the Toros. Bookhamer finished with 10 saves on the day, his fourth game with double-digit saves this season. Dickerson needed just two stops to come away with the win.
Cal State East Bay returns home next weekend to take on Cal State Stanislaus and Chico State. The Pioneers will look to end their three-game losing streak, meeting the Warriors at 7 p.m. at Pioneer Stadium on Oct. 15.