Cal State San Bernardino got two goals and an assist from sophomore
Obi Agwu en route to a 5-2 CCAA conference men's soccer victory over visiting Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday at Coyote Premier Field.
Agwu booted home his sixth and seventh goals of the season in the second half to enable the Coyotes to pull away from a tight battle with the Otters who trailed just 3-2 into the 73rd minute.
The Coyotes are now 5-6-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the CCAA South Division while the Otters are 1-6-4 overall and 1-4-3 in the CCAA.
CSUSB opened the scoring on a one-touch goal by sophomore
Albert Cabrera in the seventh minute after linked passes by Agwu and
Jahmel McDermott set him up. The Otters responded with a one-touch goal by Nick McGill, his third of the season, in the 17th minute off a pass from Andy Binol.
Sophomore
Jorge Aguirre put the Coyotes up 2-1 in the 37th minute when he ran onto a ball that sophomore
Jose Godinez chipped over the last defender and lined a low shot inside the near post for a 2-1 Coyotes lead at halftime.
Godinez made it 3-1 nine minutes into the second half when he drilled a low shot into the net from a crossing pass inside the 18 from Cabrera. The gap narrowed to 3-2 when the Otters' Beau Villanueva converted a penalty kick in the 59th minute.
Agwu put CSUSB up 4-2 with a liner into the upper V of the net from a drop pass by senior defender
Jeff Meyer in the 74th minute and then capped the scoring with a one-timed blast from a crossing pass by freshman
Danny Pacheco.
The Coyotes outshot Monterey Bay 16-9. CSUSB goalkeeper
Arath De La Rocha had three saves while Sam Campanelli stopped six Coyote shots.
Cal State San Bernardino will be on the road next weekend, facing Sonoma State, the No. 1 team in the West Region, and Humboldt State, the region's No. 6 team.
CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO 5, CAL STATE MONTEREY BAY 2
CSUSB goals:
Obi Agwu (2),
Albert Cabrera,
Jose Godinez,
Jorge Aguirre. Assists:
Jahmel McDermott, Agwu, Cabrera,
Jeff Meyer,
Danny Pacheco, Godinez.
CSU Monterey Bay goals: Nick McGill, Beau Villanueva. Assist: Andy Binol.
Goalie saves:
Arath De La Rocha (CSUSB) 3; Sam Campanelli (CSUMB) 6.