ROLL LANCERS ROLL

Saturday, October 31

Riverside

12 p.m.

California Baptist University

Concordia

11/1/2009 1:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer

RIVERSIDE, Calif. --- There was a stiff and gusty wind in Riverside Saturday, and it blew in all the momentum in the world with it.

A red-hot California Baptist University continued its roll with a 3-0 upset of the NAIA's No. 24-ranked Concordia in the regular-season finale. It is the Lancers' fourth win in the past five games to close out the regular season.

Up next, the GSAC Tournament, and CBU couldn't have picked a better time to be playing its best.

“Momentum is a feeling, and the guys feel it,” said CBU Head Coach Ryan Jorden, the only coach in program history to lead the Lancers to consecutive playoff appearances, “and there's no better time to feel it than right now.”

The win snaps the Lancers' seven-game losing streak to Concordia as they improve to 5-6-4 overall, 4-5-1 (13 points) GSAC. It is just their second win ever over a ranked team.

The Eagles fall to 9-6-2, 5-3-2 (17 points).

CBU honored its five seniors at halftime, but by then the Lancers were in full control, and mostly because of the play of its seniors, who had a hand in all three goals. The Lancers scored twice before the game was even 10 minutes old and then Gabriel Gonzalez converted a penalty kick in the 38th minute to complete the scoring.

Just minutes into the game, the Lancers went on the prowl. Josh Cormier played a ball down the right side where Spenser Steele ran onto it, beat his defender into the box and slid a ball back into the center of the area. Cormier, who went sprinting down the center of the pitch, ran onto the ball and hammered his fifth goal in three games into the net to the give the Lancers a 1-0 lead 2:49 into the game.

Six minutes later, Cormier again had a hand in the scoring when he sent a shot on frame that squirted through Mike Radchuk's hands. Michael Corral, who has started just four times in his four-year career, beat Radchuk to the ball and gave the Lancers a 2-0 advantage in the ninth minute with his first career strike.

The Eagles were stunned, and the Lancers were rolling.

“Our work rate was tremendous today,” said Jorden. “We've been working to get to a place where everyone is on the same page. The seniors showed the heart of what we're trying to accomplish as a program. They got us off to a tremendous start, and I'm proud of them for putting us in a position to be successful.”

Not letting up, the Lancers pressed forward again. Tiburcio Casillas got into the area, beat his defender and then drew a foul. Gonzalez stepped up and tucked away the PK.

The Lancers out-shot the Eagles, 13-9, including a 9-1 margin in the first half. The Eagles came out firing in the first five minutes of the second half, but Jeff Redinger made two of his five saves to keep them off the board. He got his third shutout of the season.

CBU has scored 16 goals in the past five games.

The Lancers will hit the road Wednesday for the opening round of the GSAC Tournament and will either play at The Master's or Azusa Pacific.