California Baptist University
Utah Tech
Lancers Secure Two-Goal Victory on Senior Night
10/22/2023 10:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE - Ten Lancers' were honored and celebrated for their years of effort put into the men's soccer program before Sunday night's game, in which California Baptist netted a pair of late goals to take the win 2-0 over Utah Tech. The win improves CBU to 6-5-2 on the year and 4-1-1 in Western Athletic Conference play, and firmly in the driver's seat for earning a first-round bye in the upcoming WAC Tournament with those 13 points with two games to go.
"Utah Tech is a good team, and we knew tonight would have a big impact on the chase for the first-round byes. I felt at halftime that we needed to speed the game up and be more assertive in the final 1/3," said Head Coach Coe Michaelson after the victory. "As the game wore on, we started creating more chances. It was important to remain resilient. We did a nice job of pushing for the win while remaining organized and not giving away chances on the counter."
The first half was a very even 45 minutes, and even though CBU owned the possession battle, both teams took five shots and earned two corners, while CBU edged UT 4-3 in shots on goal. The second half brought new vigor to the Lancers, who did far more with their opportunities in the second 45. The Lancers outshot the Trailblazers 13-4 in the second half and earned five more corners.
Despite the uptick in production, scoring still came late, as Luis Mueller set up in front of a free kick just a few feet from the end line in the 81st minute, but a rolled assist from Adolfo Pino gave him the space and angle he needed to score his sixth goal of the season.
The second goal came with just 30 seconds left on the scoreboard, and Georg Bjarnason split a pass between two trailblazer defenders to find a streaking Drew Hardin for his third goal.
Before the match, 10 seniors were honored for their efforts in CBU soccer. Muller, Nolan Premack, Anthony Vargas, Aidan Hay, Zack Littman, Lincoln Aquino, Antonio Gomez, Cole Bradley, Georg Bjarnason, and Thomas Beecham all received their due appreciation from the Lancer crowd.
Coach Michaelson added this about his seniors, "We owe a big debt of gratitude to these seniors. Committing to a transitioning program with a promise of building something special is not something everyone is willing to do. These guys can always be proud of their legacy, setting a foundation of elite Division I soccer at CBU and in the Riverside community. We are a program with national-level expectations averaging in the top 35 in the country for attendance two years after our transition because of these guys, and I could not be more thankful for or proud of them."
CBU will finish the regular season on the road, first facing off against the Wolverines of Utah Valley on Thursday before culminating the season against Air Force on Sunday.
