AZUSA, Calif. -- Gabriel Castillo scored in the 85th minute to lift the Cal Poly Pomona men's soccer team to the 2018 NCAA Division II West Region title with an upset 1-0 victory over Azusa Pacific Thursday night at the Cougar Soccer Complex in Azusa.
The Broncos (16-6), the No. 5 seed in the West Region, captured the West Region title for the second consecutive season -- and for the third time in four years -- and will face West Texas A&M on Saturday at 6:00 pm in Azusa in the NCAA Quarterfinal for the right to advance to the Final Four in Pittsburgh, Pa., in two weeks.
The host Cougars, who were the No. 2 seed in the West, end their season at 17-2-1.
It was an extremely tight contest from the entire 90 minutes of action. Azusa had the slight edge in shots (16-14) and led in shots on goals (5-2), but of the five shots taken by APU in the contest, Broncos goalkeeper
Jakob Hansen came up huge every time, making several incredible diving saves to keep the 13th-ranked offense in Division II out of the net. In fact, Hansen has recorded shutouts in all three NCAA tournament games, and in four of the five postseason contests for CPP this season. Of the three NCAA tournament shutouts, they were against the top three scoring teams in the West Region -- Fresno Pacific, who was the top-scoring team in the West, and No. 2 in the nation at 3.41 goals per game, Simon Fraser, the No. 3 team in Division II at 3.39 goals per game, and now Azusa Pacific, which came in to Thursday's matchup netting 2.83 goals a game.
After a scoreless first half, the energy level of both teams, and the raucous crowd of 675 that filled every inch of the far sideline ramped up several notches as the second half unfolded. Both teams had their share of opportunities to score the go-ahead goal, but none as close as
Cyro Oliveira's shot in the 83rd minute that banged off the post. Little did anyone know that Castillo would strike two minutes later.
Eduardo Faria flicked a pass off his heel from the top of the penalty box where Castillo gathered possession and buried the shot past APU netminder Brendan Fix to take the 1-0 lead at 84:21.
Neither team managed a shot in the final five minutes and change, but the Cougars served a corner kick into the box in the 86th minute that CPP was able to clear before the clock ran out and the on-field celebration began.
It was just Castillo's second goal of his young career; his first-career goal also pushed the Broncos to a 1-0 victory two weeks ago in the CCAA semifinal over Cal State San Bernardino.
Cal Poly Pomona will now face off against the No. 13th ranked team in the nation, West Texas A&M, on Saturday at 6:00 pm in Azusa in the National quarterfinals. The winner of Saturday's match will advance to the National Semifinals on November 29th in Pittsburgh, Pa. The National Championship game will then be played two days later on December 1st, also in Pittsburgh, Pa. West Texas A&M defeated Colorado Mesa 1-0 in overtime also on Thursday at Azusa to capture the South Central Regional title. The Buffs are 17-2-3 and are tied with Fort Hays State for the most goals scored by a team in all of Division II this season (67).
The Broncos are looking to return to the Final Four for the second straight year, and for the third time in four years. CPP played in the National Championship match in 2015, then returned to the Final Four last season before bowing out to the eventual Division II champions from the University of Charleston in the National semifinals.
The updated 2018 NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship Tournament bracket can be found
here.
