Box Score

LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A.'s men's soccer team completed a successful break from California Collegiate Athletic Association play.

 

The Golden Eagles broke open a tight game in the second half and went on to a 6-1 win over Western Washington Friday afternoon at Jesse Owens Track. Cal State L.A. (15-2-1) won its second straight decision over an NCAA Division II West Region opponent from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

 

The Golden Eagles had beaten Seattle Pacific, 2-1, on Wednesday.

 

Cal State L.A., ranked No. 1 in the West Region and No. 10 in the nation, won its fourth straight match. The Golden Eagles, who have already clinched a spot in the four-team CCAA Championship Tournament that will be held at Cal State Stanislaus on Nov. 6-8, will complete its regular season with two road conference matches next week. Cal State L.A. had a six-point lead over Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA South Division entering the day.

 

Federico Cino had two goals and an assist, Kristian Gaustad had a goal and two assists and Miguel Cucue, Spencer Tripp and Derrek Horn also chipped in with goals for the Golden Eagles.

 

Kellan Brown had the lone goal for Western Washington (5-10). The Vikings, the defending GNAC champions, had also lost at Cal State Dominguez Hills on Wednesday.

 

Cal State L.A. had a 20-7 edge in shots, including an 11-3 advantage in the second half. Western Washington had a player ejected in the 50^th minute and Cal State L.A. took advantage with four goals the rest of the way.

 

Tobias Hummel and Jose Martinez were strong in goal for the Golden Eagles, while Cameron Copps-Tilley and Christian Warman combined for three saves for the Vikings.

 

Cino opened the scoring in the 10^th minute when he placed a free kick from just outside the box into the upper left corner of the goal. Cal State L.A. made it 2-0 when Gaustad found Cucue in front of the goal with a perfect crossing pass and Cucue knocked it in for his third goal of the season.

 

Western Washington began to generate its best chances of the game and had a good shot by Tyler Bjork sail just wide in the 30^th minute. The Vikings cashed in when Brown, Western Washington's leading scorer, stole a failed clearing attempt and placed a shot just inside the far post for his seventh goal of the season.

 

The Golden Eagles had a pair of two-goal flurries in the second half to put the game out of reach. Gaustad made it 3-1 when he ripped a shot from about 25 yards out into the goal with an assist from Cino in the 54^th minute. Then, just three minutes later, Cino received a pass from Gaustad and scored his second goal of the game and team-high ninth of the season.

 

Tripp made it 5-1 in the 82^nd minute when he made a long run down the right side, sent the ball into the box, came up with it again and shot it in for his fourth goal of the season. Horn completed the scoring with his second goal of the season when he knocked home a rebound. Anton Gunnarsson had the assist in the 84^th minute.

 

Cal State L.A. will resume CCAA action with a road match at UC San Diego next Friday.