POMONA, Calif. – Ranked at No. 4 nationally in the preseason poll, the Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team secured a 1-0 victory over Montana State Billings in the season opener.
CPP will take a 1-0 record into Saturday's home match against Simon Fraser at 7 p.m. SFU won its season opener Thursday with a 3-0 margin over Cal State San Bernardino.
In a high-intensity match that featured five yellow cards, the Broncos capitalized Thursday afternoon on a goal just one minute and 14 seconds into the second half.
Hussein Heidari bent a cross for
Dante Medina, who took a close-range shot before given a rebound attempt that he sent to the back of the net.
It marked the first points for Heidari and Medina as Broncos. Heidari is a sophomore transfer from Lynn and Medina is a junior that came from Cal State Fullerton.
The teams were almost equal in total shots as CPP finished with an 11-10 edge. The Broncos put the pressure on in the first half, outshooting the Yellowjackets 8-1. MSUB rallied for a steady attack in the second half, finishing with a 9-3 shot advantage through the final 45 minutes.
MSUB's best chance came at the 77:32 mark when Flavio Colasanti lined a shot from about 12 yards out. CPP goalkeeper
Jason Trejos made a diving save to his left and the ball caromed off the post, keeping the Broncos' lead intact.
For Trejos, Thursday's win marked his second career shutout.
