RIVERSIDE --- A sellout crowd of 1,251 fans packed the CBU Soccer Stadium on Monday night as the Lancers battled their third Big West opponent of 2025, Cal State Fullerton. For the second match in a row, an early goal gave the Lancers the lead for most of the night, but a late equalizer came, ending the night in a 1-1 draw.
The Lancers are now 3-1-1 through five matches of the preseason.
"Soccer can be a cruel game, and it would be easy to focus on the wrong things tonight but we need to remain focused on what we need to do better," said head coach Coe Michaelson. "We are within a few minutes of being 5-0 right now so we should have belief about our potential but remain firm in our pursuit of growing and becoming better. The margins are fine, and the good news is that with a little bit of growth we will be a very good team."
CBU placed its goal on the board 12 minutes into the match, following a breakaway chance from
Blake D'Agostino. D'Agostino drove into the penalty area before firing on goal, ricocheting off Fullerton goalkeeper Emanuel Padilla before crossing the goal line.
The goal, D'Agostino's fourth of the season, pushes his goal-scoring streak to four matches in a row. The four-match streak set a new career-high for the sophomore striker, surpassing the three consecutive matches he scored in during his freshman campaign.
That lead held for the next 77 minutes until a penalty was awarded to the Titans with one minute showing on the clock. The officials consulted video replay to confirm the penalty, and after review, a penalty was indeed called.
Fernando Valenzuela stepped up for the Titans, and while goalkeeper
Hugo Do Rego did dive to the correct side, the ball was out of his reach to level the score.
Do Rego finished with four saves on the right. Padilla totaled three.
The Lancers were slated to travel east for a date in Morgantown this Friday, but the rematch with West Virginia was canceled last week due to field issues. CBU's next match will now be next Tuesday, September 16, when the Lancers visit Tulsa.
CBU's next home match will be on September 22 when UC Irvine comes to town. Tickets are on sale
HERE.
