RIVERSIDE --- Freshman
Liam Jones wasted little time etching his name into the households of CBU faithful, as his first-half brace set the tone on opening night. Paired with a second-half goal from
Stavros Charalampous, the Lancers took down American, 3-2, to start the year 1-0.
"I'm proud of the guys," said head coach
Coe Michaelson. "While we were not at our best tonight, we showed a great spirit and fought our way to a deserved win."
American were the first to find the back of the net when a header from Nicholas Beil slipped past goalkeeper
Hugo Do Rego in the 32nd minute. The shot, American's second of the match, came after an early onslaught from the CBU attack that resulted in four shots in the opening 15 minutes.
Three minutes after the visiting side took the lead, Michaelson looked to his bench for a spark.
Jones, a freshman out of Essex, England, arrived in America less than a week ago. He entered the match as a substitute in the 35th minute, and within two minutes, he had found the back of the net. Following a pass from
Andrew Lovell, Jones took a left-footed strike on goal from 25 yards out that sailed into the upper corner to level things at one.
Two minutes later, a breakaway chance turned into Jones' second goal in just six minutes of collegiate experience.
American would respond with a goal from Troy Elgersma 20 seconds before halftime, sending the two teams to the locker room even at two.
The Lancers responded in the second half with nine shots, none bigger than the one by Charalampous in the 65th minute. Charalampous collected the ball at the top of the box and ripped a shot past goalkeeper Matthew Tibbetts to give the Lancers a 3-2 advantage.
Do Rego responded with three saves after his offense provided him a lead, as he finished with five in the winning effort.
"On another night, we would pass the ball better and be a bit sharper and more clinical, but good teams find different ways to win, and tonight was a character win, which is a great place to start when you're trying to build a winning culture," added Michaelson.
The Lancers finished Thursday's victory with 16 shots, five registering on frame.
CBU will be on the road next as they visit future Big West rival CSU Bakersfield on Monday night. It will be a quick road trip as the Lancers return home on August 30 to face another Big West opponent, Cal Poly.
Tickets for all home matches are on sale
HERE.
