POMONA, Calif. – Despite falling into a 2-1 deficit Friday against Cal State East Bay, the Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team rallied in the second half to eventually earn a 2-2 draw.
With plenty of scoring chances for both teams, Friday's match certainly was entertaining for the fans at Kellogg Field.
The hard-fought draw featured a penalty kick save and several defensive clears off the goalline. CPP outshot the visitors 18-12 while each team ended with seven shots on goal.
In the end, the Broncos' marks settle at 3-8-3 overall and 1-8-3 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) while the Pioneers stand at 3-7-4 overall and 1-6-4 in conference play.
East Bay got on the board first Friday when Sam Duenas lined a shot past Broncos' goalkeeper
Andrew Todd in the 13th minute. To start the play, the ball bounced off a CPP defender before Duenas settled it at his feet. His shot attempt deflected off another Bronco before rolling past Todd.
Just about five minutes later, the Pioneers' netminder got similarly unlucky. CPP freshman
Kris Korich dribbled in from the left corner and tried to bend a shot in. The ball deflected off a CSUEB defender and into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.
The Pioneers regained the advantage at the 28:56 mark with a play that started on a cross from Timo Baeuerle. The pass went to Rey Suarez, who headed the ball into the net from about eight yards out. With about 12 minutes remaining in the half, the Broncos came close to evening the score once again.
A header from
Elliott Bonde seemed destined to roll into the net but the ball was cleared at the goalline by a Pioneers' defender. Despite CPP taking a 7-4 shot advantage into halftime, CSUEB still held the 2-1 edge in goals at that point.
The Broncos collected the equalizing score in the 60th minute on an uncommon full-field transition. With the Pioneers attacking, CPP sophomore
Johnny Mercer stepped up and cleared the ball down the field.
After a couple bounces to just in front of the visitors' 18-yard box,
Brandon Cortez flicked a shot in just before Pioneers' goalkeeper Bryce Bookhamer rushed in to pull the ball down out of harm's way. Cortez slid in between a retreating defender and the goalie to send the attempt into the back of the net.
About midway through the second period, Suarez dribbled up the left side before being pulled down in the box by a CPP defender. That set up a penalty kick opportunity but the attempt from Florian Reppin was stopped by Todd diving to his right. Later in the half, Mercer continued his stellar performance as he cleared the ball off the goalline on two different occasions to keep the score at 2-2.
As the match moved into overtime, the defensive units continued to shut down the opposing offenses and limit scoring chances. After 110 minutes of fine play from both sides, the contest ended in the 2-2 tie.
The Broncos will now travel to Northern California for an 11:30 a.m. match Sunday at San Francisco State.
