Late Goals Decide Match Against Gonzaga

Friday, September 20

Riverside, Calif.

4:00 PM

California Baptist University

Gonzaga

Late Goals Decide Match Against Gonzaga

9/20/2019 7:55:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

By: Daniel Cook, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- California Baptist University returned home on Friday afternoon for its lone contest this week, hosting the Bulldogs of Gonzaga University. Two goals in the final 10 minutes fueled the Bulldogs to a 2-0 victory.

The first half saw California Baptist dominating possession, especially in the Gonzaga defensive third. Nevertheless, the Bulldogs held a slight edge in shots (4-3) and corner kicks (6-3) at halftime.

The second half saw a few early promising chances, first by the Bulldogs who forced Lancer keeper Albert Escuin to fully extend to save a rocket shot headed for the top left corner of the net.

Albert Escuin saves the Bulldogs best shot of the day with a full extension leap as the ball was sailing for the top corner! Game still knotted at zero. #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/QJgkKJKHPP
— CBU Men's Soccer (@CBUmsoccer) September 21, 2019

Immediately following the save, Tete Vacas worked his way into the 18-yard box and got a shot off towards the far post, just to have the Gonzaga keeper get a toe on it and edge it off the post, rather than inside for the score.

Both teams dug in their defensive heels after that until a curving shot by Gonzaga found its way past Escuin to open scoring in the 84^th minute. Gonzaga would net an insurance goal in the 89^th minute before the final horn sounded.

"We've undoubtedly had some bad luck this year and have lost numerous games that we probably deserved to win, but if we are perfectly honest with ourselves we weren't at our level today. Sure it was another game where we are unlucky to hit the post again and not take a lead which changes everything, but the reality is we can't look in the mirror today and say we did ourselves justice," Coach Coe Michaelson said after the game. "It's a painful situation right now, and probably not what we deserve on the whole of the season, but our next few games are some of the most difficult of our season and the only people who can fix it are us. This is purely about character and grit at this point."

These two teams had faced each other just one time previously, with CBU winning by a score of 5-2 on August 31, 2018.

The Lancers' schedule doesn't ease up anytime soon as they will travel to Fullerton on Wednesday the 25^th to take on the 14^th ranked team in the Cal State Fullerton Titans. Following their clash with the Titans, the Lancers will travel to the Pacific Northwest to face their first Western Athletic Conference opponent of the year, the preseason favorite Seattle U Redhawks.