California Baptist University
5-4-2, 3-0-0
San Jose State
5-5-4, 2-2-1
Mueller Nets Late Game Winner to Keep CBU Undefeated in Conference
10/12/2023 10:01:00 PM | Men's Soccer
SAN JOSE - California Baptist University men's soccer played their first road game in Western Athletic Conference play this year, taking on San Jose State on Thursday night. A slow first half eventually led to a more fruitful second half where Luis Mueller and Drew Hardin scored the two Lancer goals to get CBU three points and up to a 5-4-2 overall record while still perfect in the WAC at 3-0-0.
CBU now owns sole possession of second place in the standings, just one point behind Seattle, who is 3-0-1 in WAC play after beating UTRGV 1-0 in Edinburg, Texas, tonight. San Jose State drops to third in league standings with a 5-5-4 record on the season and 2-2-1 in the WAC.
"I don't necessarily think this was a vintage performance, but good teams have to learn to win on days they aren't at their best. Because we are so strong defensively, we always have a chance to win, and that's the foundation," said Head Coach Coe Michaelson, post game. "San Jose [State] is a good team and will always have a lot of the ball. I thought they started the second half well but once we got settled, we started to gain some momentum and then Luis had a brilliant moment and Drew pops up for a goal and it never felt in doubt after that."
The first 45 minutes were slow as both teams tried but could not gain any momentum. The sides combined for just five shots in the first half, three of which were on target. After the halftime break, SJSU forced Nolan Premack into three saves in the first 23 minutes but couldn't break his shutout streak, which currently stands at 320 consecutive minutes.
Luis Mueller finally got the Lancers onto the scoreboard in the 79th minute. He dribbled two steps into the left corner of the 18-yard box, squared up, and loosed a rocket off his left foot into the top left corner of the goal that the Spartan keeper had no chance of stopping.
Drew Hardin tucked in an insurance goal in the 83rd minute, a score that would also give Mueller an assist, his third of the season. For Hardin, it was his second goal as a true freshman and gave him points in back-to-back games for the first time in his collegiate career after assisting on a CBU goal against UTRGV last weekend.
The Lancers now head to Seattle for a match that may weigh heavily in the race for regular season conference champion as CBU is set to take on the Redhawks on Saturday afternoon at 2:00 p.m.
Team Stats
Luis Mueller (4)
Assisted By: Stavros Charalampous
GOAL by CBU Mueller, Luis Assist by Charalampous, Stavros.
78:11
Drew Hardin (2)
Assisted By: Luis Mueller
GOAL by CBU Hardin, Drew Assist by Mueller, Luis.
83:16
