SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - #21 California State University San Bernardino men's soccer advanced to the CCAA Tournament semifinals Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 victory over UC Merced at Premier Field.
With the win, the Coyotes improve to 13-3-3 overall and secure their first CCAA Tournament victory since 2021.
Senior midfielder Jahir Gonzalez-Sandoval thought he had opened the scoring with a stunning strike into the upper-left corner midway through the first half, but the goal was ruled out for a foul in the buildup.Â
CSUSB went into halftime with a 7-3 advantage in shots and the match still scoreless.
The breakthrough came in the 61st minute when fifth-year midfielder Anthony Luna split the center backs with a beautifully weighted first-time pass to sophomore midfielder Diego Lopez, who finished to give the Coyotes a 1-0 lead.
Senior midfielder Alix Soukup had a chance to double the lead in the 68th minute, but his penalty was saved.
Lopez added his second in the 73rd minute after sophomore defender Jesse Gonzalez turned defense into attack, winning the ball off a defender before finding him for the finish. The goal completed Lopez's postseason brace, bringing his season total to five and giving CSUSB a 2-0 cushion.
A push from behind in the box gave CSUSB another penalty in the 84th minute. Junior defender Damian Gonzalez calmly tucked it into the bottom-left corner for his fourth goal of the season, putting the match away at 3-0.
CSUSB finished with a 20-7 advantage in shots and held UC Merced without an attempt on target after halftime.
In goal, fifth-year goalkeeper Donovan Palomares made two saves in 90 minutes to earn his seventh clean sheet of the season and improve to 10-1-3.
Next up, CSUSB faces Cal Poly Pomona in the CCAA Tournament semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. in Pomona.
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