Cal State East Bay plays to scoreless draw with Cal Poly Pomona

  • October 1, 2010

HAYWARD, Calif. - Through two overtime periods, Cal State East Bay and Cal Poly Pomona found themselves still locked in a scoreless draw after 110 minutes of play at Pioneer Stadium on Friday. The Pioneers (4-4-2, 2-4-1 CCAA) snapped a two-game losing streak and posted their third shutout of the season with the draw.

"I thought our team played a hard-fought game," CSUEB Head Coach Amy Gerace said. "We still need to do a better job keeping the ball and making better decisions to maintain possession."

An even first half saw both teams force just one save, with East Bay notching six shots and Pomona taking seven strikes. The Pioneers opened the game with three straight shots, but could not find the back of the net early on. The Broncos answered with three unanswered shots of their own, but were equally stifled.

Stuck in a scoreless draw through 45 minutes, both teams stepped things up in the second frame, creating several scoring chances. Pioneer keeper Nina Cefalo needed five saves on the Broncos' seven shots in the second half, while Pomona keeper Sarah Rohman posted four saves of her own in the second frame.

With the match still scoreless at the end of regulation, the two squads headed to overtime, looking to snag the golden goal. Neither team managed a shot in the first period of extra time, but looked ready to score the game winner in the final overtime. After Pomona opened the second overtime with two early shots, forcing one save, the Pioneers answered with a pair of strikes of their own. Neither team, however, could find the back of the net, ending in the draw.

The Pioneer defense faced 17 Cal Poly Pomona shots, with Cefalo making seven saves to post her second shutout of the season. Cefalo's consistent backline of Shannon Fontes, Jasmine Stephens, Gail Bassett and Breanna Baker each played at least 100 minutes in the match. Offensively, Cal State East Bay was led by senior midfielder Michelle Garcia's three shots.

"Nina Cefalo came up with some big time saves and our defense did a great job to help Nina pick up the shutout," Gerace said.

The Broncos were led by Valerie Strawn's five shots, while Rohman made five saves on 13 East bay shots.

Cal State East Bay returns to action on Sunday, playing host to Cal State San Bernardino. The Pioneers and Coyotes are set to kick off at 11:30 a.m. at Pioneer Stadium.