LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's men's soccer team saw senior defender
Simon Johansen strike again Saturday in a big NCAA Tournament moment.
Johansen, who scored the game-winning goal in the 2021 NCAA national championship game victory over Charleston in 2021, lifted the Golden Eagles to a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Point Loma at University Stadium in a second-round Super Region 4 contest with another momentus goal. Cal State LA (17-1-2), the No. 2 seed in the Super Region 4, had its hands full with No. 10 seed Point Loma, which was coming off a 3-1 win over No. 7 seed Simon Fraser on Thursday. The two teams battled through a scoreless first half before Johansen broke the ice with a beautiful strike in the 56th minute.Â
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It was a game dominated by defense, which is no surprise as Cal State LA has been one of the top defensive teams in the nation in 2023.
Julian Aadlandsvik made one save and the Golden Eagles recorded their 15th shutout, which is a new single-season program record.
Point Loma (13-5-1) had some dangerous runs during the game, but the Golden Eagle defense was up to the task each time. The Sea Lions did make things interesting at the end, getting a last-ditch attempt by Felix Calero go just wide as time ran out.
Bryan Ortega and Johansen had two shots each for the Golden Eagles, while
Emil Antonacci,
Neophytos Scottis and
Carson Nguyen had one shot each.
Calero had five shots for the Sea Lions, while Juan Salazar had three. Finn Simmersbach made two saves for Point Loma.
The only goal of the game came after an aggressive attack that included
Carl Solli making a run down the middle and sending a pass to
Aidan Wait, who appeared to get a touch that deflected off a Point Loma defender. Johansen ran onto the loose ball and drilled a perfect shot to the far post for his first goal of the season.
In fact, it was his first goal since the 2021 national championship game when he was on the receiving end of a memorable run by David Elizaga, who got the ball to Solli, who got it to Johansen for the title winner.
Cal State LA advances to the Super Region 4 semi-final against No. 3 seed Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 30 or Dec. 1. The site will depend on the result of No. 1 seed Midwestern State's game on Sunday.
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