Box Score
LA JOLLA – Cal State L.A.'s men's soccer team cranked up its offense just in time to finally subdue a defensive-minded UC San Diego squad.
The Golden Eagles got three second-half goals, including two in the final 10 minutes of the game, to beat the Tritons, 3-0, in the California Collegiate Athletic Association opener for both schools Friday night at Triton Soccer Field. Cal State L.A. expected a tough defensive struggle after posting a pair of 1-0 decisions over the Tritons last season.
Cal State L.A. (2-0, 1-0 CCAA), ranked No. 2 in the nation, took a 1-0 lead in the 48
th minute on a UC San Diego own goal. The Golden Eagles made it stand up and then got a pair of goals in a four-minute span to finally get some breathing room.
Tony Hernandez scored the first goal of his Cal State L.A. career in the 84
th minute to make it 2-0 and
Julian Ringhof scored off a corner kick in the 88
th minute to put the contest out of reach.
UC San Diego (0-2-1, 0-1 CCAA) failed to score for a third straight game. The Tritons had come into the contest with a strong defense, allowing only two goals in their first two games. Jesse Brennan had five saves for the Tritons.
James Irwin made one save for his second shutout of the season.
Cal State L.A. had a 16-9 edge in shots, including an 11-6 advantage in the second half. The Golden Eagles had a 5-3 edge in shots in the first half, but neither team was able to direct an attempt on goal.
UC San Diego had an 8-3 advantage in corner kicks, but Cal State L.A. was the only team to score off of one in the contest.
After the scoreless opening half, the Golden Eagles got on the board just 2:01 into the second half on the UC San Diego own goal. A Triton defender slid for the ball, but it bounded off his foot into the net to put Cal State L.A. ahead.
Cal State L.A. got its second goal when Hernandez headed in a flick from
Gonzalo Pulgar on a breakaway.
Ringhof made it 3-0 a few minutes later when he headed in a corner kick from
Osvaldo Lopez from the center of the box.
The Golden Eagles had eight of their 11 second-half shots on target and Brennan made all five of his saves in the second half.
Cal State L.A. will return to action on Sunday with a match at Cal State East Bay.
