POMONA, Calif. – After missing most of last year due to injury,
Luis Najera Jr. stepped up in a key moment on Friday as he delivered the game-winning goal on a penalty kick. The result lifts Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer into a first-place tie with Cal State L.A.
The penalty kick capped off a thrilling 2-1 overtime for the Broncos, who improve to 9-3-1 overall and 5-2-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). The Broncos are 6-1-1 at Kellogg Field, which will be the site of Sunday's 2 p.m. contest against Cal State East Bay.
CPP outshot the Warriors 16-10 on Friday night and earned 12 corner kicks as compared to the visitor's one. Earlier in the game, the Broncos' defense came up with pivotal stops. Sophomore defender
Nadeer Ghantous cleared the ball at the line to keep the 0-0 score intact. Moments later, a Warriors' shot hit the post and rolled out of danger.
Broncos' goalkeeper
Jason Trejos made two saves in the 94 minutes of action. Meanwhile, the CPP backline held Stanislaus to one shot on goal through the final 49 minutes.
In the 50th minute, Andres Cakar scored his first goal as a Bronco. The assist came from
Kevin Martinez, who bent a corner kick into the box. Cakar leapt above his defender and sent a header into the bottom corner of the net to put CPP up 1-0.
The Warriors netted the equalizer about 10 minutes later when Joseph Mayorca tallied an unassisted score.
