RIVERSIDE, Calif. - California State University San Bernardino men's soccer played to an eventful 0-0 draw with unbeaten, first-place Cal State Los Angeles Friday at UC Riverside Soccer Stadium in the CCAA Game of the Week between the conference's top two teams.
With the draw, the Coyotes move to 11-2-3 overall and 7-2-1 in conference play. CSUSB remains in second place with 22 points and has secured a second consecutive CCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Josh Hill.
An early turning point came in the 16th minute when Cal State LA's leading goal scorer was shown a straight red card. A VAR review confirmed the decision, leaving the Yotes a player up for the remainder of the match.
Sophomore forward Nevin Rueegger nearly took advantage in the 26th minute, turning to create space before firing toward the upper-left corner, but the Golden Eagles' goalkeeper pulled off a big save to deny the opener.
Senior forward Rafa Fonseca found the net shortly afterward, but his goal was ruled out for a handball just before the shot.
Despite a 6-2 edge in shots, the Coyotes went into halftime still searching for the breakthrough.
The Yotes controlled much of the second half as they searched for the go-ahead goal. In the closing minutes, Cal State LA kept the ball near the corner and managed the clock to see out the draw with 10 men, preserving its unbeaten record.
CSUSB finished with a 12-6 advantage in shots, while shots on goal were even at two apiece. Sophomore defender Jesse Gonzalez and sophomore midfielder Diego Lopez led the Coyotes with three attempts each.
In goal, fifth-year goalkeeper Donovan Palomares played all 90 minutes, recording two saves to earn his sixth shutout of the season, ranking him second in the CCAA. He remains unbeaten at 8-0-3.
Next up, the Yotes begin their final road trip with a short drive to Cal Poly Pomona on Sunday, Oct. 25 before traveling north to face Cal State East Bay on Thursday, Oct. 29. Both matches kick off at 2 p.m., with Sunday's contest at Kellogg Stadium and Thursday's regular-season finale at Pioneer Stadium in Hayward.
