By Erik Carr
BroncoAthletics.com

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. –  In a game where the temperature equaled the number of minutes in regulation, the Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team began its 2012 conference slate on Friday at Premier Soccer Field with a grueling scoreless tie against Cal State San Bernardino.

The Broncos move to 2-0-1 overall and a 0-0-1 record against California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rivals while the Coyotes become 0-0-3 overall and 0-0-1 in conference play.

Senior goalkeeper Kris Minton (2-0-1) finished the game with four saves, and Coyotes senior goalkeeper Tanner Olinger (0-0-2) had six saves.

Frustration was the theme of the conference opener. Though both teams were visually fatigued by the harsh playing conditions, none of that could suppress the struggle the teams had in all aspects of the game.

The Broncos' final shot-on-goal occurred in the 104th minute when freshman forward Brandon Cortez launched a shot toward the net but was easy enough for Olinger to grab. In the 108th minute, senior forward Andres Adame had the Coyotes' final shot-on-goal in the game but could not connect.

In the game's 93rd minute, sophomore forward Ian Trantow only had to contend with one Coyote defender and Olinger. Trantow took the shot, which Olinger lunged out toward with his right arm and successfully deflected away from the goal. Two minutes later, junior forward/midfielder Abiel Coronado fired a shot which Olinger received with little struggle.

The Broncos had some plays early on with great potential to put points on the board. One particular moment occurred off a corner kick in the 28th minute when Coronado headed the ball towards the net, but Olinger was waiting right in its path.

CSUSB freshman forward Domonic Calderon had a header shot in the 42nd minute, but the shot was wide and ended the Coyotes' scoring threat.

Both teams had a shot-on-goal and each goalkeeper recorded a save in the first half, but the Coyotes led the shot battle, 3-1.

Both teams turned the aggression up a notch following the intermission, leading to a higher risk of injury and an increase in penalties. Four minutes into the second half, Coyotes freshman midfielder Leo Mendoza headed the ball toward Minton's clutch.

Several more close calls ensued during the closing 20 minutes of regulation for the Broncos and Coyotes, but none of them delivered. Cortez attempted a shot in the 81st minute which was ultimately too high to enter the net as it flew over the crossbar.

Despite CPP being served a pair of yellow cards in the 84th and 86th minute of the game, CSUSB failed to score.

The Broncos and the Coyotes combined for 25 fouls, receiving 14 and 11, respectively, during regulation. For the game, CPP (17) and CSUSB (12) had 29 in all.

CPP completes its first weekend of CCAA play at UC San Diego (1-1, 0-0 CCAA) on Sunday. The game is scheduled to begin at noon. The Coyotes finish the weekend with an 11:30 a.m. game on Sunday against San Francisco State (0-2, 0-0 CCAA).