POMONA -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team saw a dramatic game-tying goal lead to a heartbreaking double-overtime defeat in the CCAA Championship Tournament semi-finals late Friday night at Kellogg Field.
After
Troy Dumlao sent the match into overtime with his second goal of the game, the Golden Eagles controlled much of the extra time before Cal Poly Pomona struck for the game-winner with 28.3 seconds remaining in the second overtime to stun Cal State LA, 3-2. The Broncos move on to the tournament championship match against Stanislaus State, which advanced past No. 1 seed Cal State Dominguez Hills on penalty kicks.
It was certainly a difficult loss for the Golden Eagles (12-4-2), who entered the final week of the season ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Division II West Region. Cal State LA beat UC San Diego, 3-1, on Tuesday and then lost to Cal Poly Pomona (12-2-3) on Friday. Those results were not reflected in the last poll. The Golden Eagles will now have to wait to see if they will be one of six teams from the West Region selected to the NCAA playoffs. The tournament field will be announced on Monday on ncaa.com.
Cal State LA simply can't seem to catch a break against Cal Poly Pomona, which posted its second one-goal win over the Golden Eagles this season. Cal State LA dropped a 1-0 decision in Pomona during the regular season in a game where the Golden Eagles had a big edge in possession and shots.
On Friday, the Golden Eagles took a 1-0 halftime lead when Dumlao scored the first of his two goals in the in the 40th minute.
Herbert Biste got the assist after his shot hit the crossbar and Dumlao was able to head in the rebound.
Cal Poly Pomona got the equalizer early in the second half on a goal by Alexander Turkwon and then took a 2-1 lead in the 75th minute when Kris Korich scored off a cross from Aaron Macedo.
With time winding down, Cal State LA seemed to catch a second wind and stepped up its pressure. The Golden Eagles were rewarded when Biste took a pass from
Miguel Galvan Lara, worked his way down the left side and sent in a cross to Dumlao, who was in the center of the box. He quickly shot past Cal Poly Pomona goalkeeper Fernando Pablo Quevedo to tie the match.
Cal State LA carried its momentum in the overtime periods. Dumlao had a great look at a potential third goal of the game, but his bid sailed just high of the crossbar in the 93rd minute. The Golden Eagles had a pair of corner kicks to open the second overtime period and
Brett Elliott had a good chance when he ran onto a ball and drilled a shot just over the crossbar in the 109th minute.
Then, when the game seemed destined to head into penalty kicks, Turkson got his second goal of the game with just 28.3 seconds remaining.
Cal Poly Pomona had a 24-17 edge in shots and a 5-4 advantage in corner kicks.
Cal State LA goalkeeper
Anthony Perez made five saves in goal.
Marvin Iskra had four shots, Biste and Dumlao had three each and
Steven Eberle had two shots.
Dumlao now has a team-leading eight goals on the season.