California Baptist University
1-0-2, 0-0-0
CSU Bakersfield
1-1-1, 0-0-0
Freshmen Power Lancers to First Win of 2024 in front of Record Crowd
8/31/2024 11:52:00 PM | Men's Soccer
RIVERSIDE - California Baptist University men's soccer found their offensive flow in game three of the 2024 season, feeding off the record crowd of 1,617, to trounce CSU Bakersfield 4-1. The win was the first contest in two years that saw the Lancers score four or more goals. It moved CBU to 1-0-2 on the year while simultaneously handing the Roadrunners their first defeat of the season, which is now 1-1-1.
Six Lancers contributed to the final tally as four different scorers found their way into the goal column, with two of those goals being assisted. Two freshmen, Blake D'Agostino and Jiro Uchida, came off the bench to spark the action, while starters Stavros Charalampous and Leo Mendez also got in on the action. First-year goalkeeper Hugo Do Rego, the reigning Western Athletic Conference Goalkeeper of the Week, had another superb night, stopping eight CSUB shots, including all seven they took in the first half.
"It's great to get a big win. I think it covers over the fact that Bakersfield was much better than us for most of the first half, but our three freshmen really deserve a lot of credit. I thought Jiro [Uchid], Blake [D'Agostino], and Andrew [Lovell] changed the game when they came on, which is so impressive as freshmen in such a big moment in front of a packed house," said head coach Coe Michaelson after the match. He added, "The good news is we feel we can be better, but in the end, doing what we did tonight with 16 available field players on a roster that has 25 is a testament to the depth of the team."
The 'Runners were the aggressors early, posting four shots on goal and two corner kicks in the first 28 minutes. However, ten minutes later, D'Agostino would receive a pass from Luca Contestabile and net the Lancers' first goal of the season after evading the charging CSUB keeper and tucking it away with his left foot to give CBU the lead heading into the halftime break.
Uchida started the second half after closing out the first as a substitute, and he wasted no time scoring his first Lancer goal just 19 seconds into the second half off an assist from Josh Hallenberger. Five minutes later, Charalampous would secure his second career goal to improve the CBU lead to 3-0.
The Roadrunners wouldn't go quietly, though, breaking Do Rego's scoreless streak at 232 minutes to start his career when they scored in the 52nd minute. Despite being a two-goal lead after that, CSUB didn't seem to press the matter as CBU continued dominating possession. Finally, scoring was capped in the 83rd minute when Mendez put away a penalty shot for his 15th career goal, fourth-most in the Division I era.
Still unbeaten, CBU now turns its attention to another ranked opponent as #4 West Virginia makes their first-ever trip to Riverside next Friday, Septmeber 6, for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff. The Mountaineers hosted a shorthanded CBU in the season opener a year ago, taking that contest by a score of 3-0. WVU would end the season ranked No. 3 in the NCAA, falling to the eventual National Champion Clemson Tigers in the College Cup semifinals.
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Team Stats
Blake D'Agostino (1)
Assisted By: Luca Contestabile
GOAL by CBU D'Agostino, Blake Assist by Contestabile, Luca.
38:13
Jiro Uchida (1)
Assisted By: Josh Hallenberger
GOAL by CBU Uchida, Jiro Assist by Hallenberger, Josh.
45:19
Stavros Charalampous (1)
GOAL by CBU Charalampous, Stavros.
50:15
Rashaad Ogun (1)
GOAL by CSUB Ogun, Rashaad.
51:27
Leo Mendez
CBU Leo Mendez PENALTY KICK GOAL.
82:32
