California Baptist University
3-4-5, 2-1-1
San Jose State
3-5-6, 2-1-2
Hardin Leads CBU Past The Spartans in Convincing Fashion
10/17/2024 10:57:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE - Reigning WAC Freshman of the Year Drew Hardin took matters into his own hands on Thursday night, leading the offensive charge against San Jose State in a 3-0 Lancer win. Hardin notched his first two goals of the season and his first collegiate brace alongside Blake D'Agostino's team-leading fifth goal as CBU routed previously conference-unbeaten San Jose State. The Lancers now stand at 2-1-1 in conference play, while the Spartans fall to 2-1-2.
"Tonight was our most complete performance of the season. We were very professional in how we managed our lead, and in the end, we could have scored more," said Head Coach Coe Michaelson postgame. He continued, "This needs to be a standard that our guys hold themselves to because it's so much more effective when the leadership standards come from within the team rather than the coaches. The guys deserve a ton of credit for their performance and a big win."
The first half began as a sprint as CBU pressed the pace early and was rewarded with a goal in the fourth minute. Jan Quispel placed a corner kick along the six-yard line where Dominic De Almeida got enough of it to redirect towards the near post. Hardin was ready and buried it into the side netting for the early lead. Goal number two came in the 26th minute as a cross from Luka Kozomara was redirected by a Spartan defender but left perfectly set up for Hardin to launch into the back of the net for his brace.
The Lancers took that 2-0 lead into the halftime break with them but clearly weren't satisfied with two as they came out and nearly doubled their shot attempts from six to 11 in the second half. Eventually, the second to last shot of the game paid off for CBU as Luis Borrero set up D'Agostino perfectly for a tap-in insurance goal in the 82nd minute to put away the Spartans for good.
It was an undeniable offense-driven match as the teams combined for 31 shots total, putting 14 on frame. Lancer goalkeeper Hugo Do Rego was spectacular again, making seven saves on a cool night when the ball kept a consistent layer of water on it, making it much more challenging to corral. Do Rego's fourth clean sheet of the season ties him for the top mark in the conference, while his 63 saves rank second.
The weekend continues with another tough battle as the Redhawks of Seattle U come to town on Sunday. Seattle dropped Thursday night's contest at San Diego State 2-1, dropping the Redhawks to second on the WAC table with 10 points as the Aztecs claim possession of first place with 12 points. Sunday's game is a rare matinee, starting at 4:00 p.m. at the CBU Soccer Stadium.
Team Stats
Drew Hardin (2)
Assisted By: Dominic De Almeida , Jan Quispel
GOAL by CBU Hardin, Drew Assist by De Almeida, Dominic and Quispel, Jan.
03:58
Drew Hardin (2)
Assisted By: Luka Kozomara
GOAL by CBU Hardin, Drew Assist by Kozomara, Luka.
26:30
Blake D'Agostino (5)
Assisted By: Luis Borrero
GOAL by CBU D'Agostino, Blake Assist by Borrero, Luis.
81:22
