Box Score HAYWARD, Calif. - Sophomore forward Rey Suarez scored two goals in the second half for the Cal State East Bay men's soccer team, giving them a 2-1 victory over Cal State Monterey Bay on Sunday afternoon. The Pioneeers (4-7-4, 2-6-4 CCAA) came from behind to earn the win, avenging a 1-0 overtime loss to the Otters in Seaside earlier this season.

“I'm proud of the guys today,” East Bay Head Coach Andy Cumbo said. “They were looking forward to this game and they performed well.”

The victory extended the Pioneers' unbeaten streak to three games, following Friday's draw with Cal Poly Pomona on the road. Suarez' two goals brought his season total to a team-leading four, including three in the past two games. Meanwhile, the East Bay defense continued its strong campaign, rejecting eight of the Otters' nine shots in the game.

After a scoreless first half, Cal State Monterey Bay got on the board in the 53rd minute, as Alex Shuler got his shot from 12 yards through the defense and into the back of the net past second-half goalkeeper Rene Martinez.

Less than a minute later, with the Otters leading 1-0, East Bay's Salvador Mendoza and Monterey Bay's Saydou Kamara both went up for a header near midfield, where they collided, hitting heads hard. Both players required treatment from the athletic training staff and left the game. Kamara made his way to the sideline on his own, while Mendoza required treatment from paramedics and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation.

“Today was an emotional game,” Cumbo said. “It's not easy for a player to have a teammate taken off the field on a gurney and leave in an ambulance. The guys stayed focused on the ball and getting the win.”

After a 20-minute delay to the game due to the injuries, the two teams got back underway and the Pioneers came back out shooting. Suarez, who had been sparking the East Bay offense throughout the game, finally broke through the Otter defense in the 61st minute. The Pioneers were in possession and moving into the CSUMB end, where Carlos Barboza made a run with the ball down the left flank where he played it into the box for Suarez, who blew his shot from eight yards past Otter keeper Evan Drake to pull the Pioneers even 1-1.

“Carlos [Barboza] and Sam [Dueñas] had a positive impact as well,” Cumbo said. “They were both good in combination play. Carlos served a great ball on our first goal.”

With momentum going its way, East Bay continued to chip away at the Cal State Monterey Bay defense, forcing Drake to make two saves over the next 10 minutes. The Otters weren't through, however, as they turned up the heat on the East Bay defense and Martinez, who handled the pressure well, getting a block from defender Paul Dewhurst in the 79th minute and getting help from the crossbar on an impressive header from Servando Perez just two minutes later.

“Timo [Baeurele] and [Jesus] Leon had a solid performance on the flanks and really helped us on both sides of the ball,” Cumbo said.

East Bay answered back working its way up the field before Otter defender Dylan Niven took down a Pioneer player in the box, earning Niven a yellow card and the Pioneers a penalty. Suarez stepped up to the spot and converted easily to give him his second goal of the game and give East Bay the 2-1 lead with less than seven minutes remaining.

Though Cal State Monterey Bay made a strong push to score the equalizer in the final minutes, the Pioneers got help from the woodwork again as Julian Salas' final shot went off the crossbar.

East Bay held a 14-9 advantage in shots and forced Drake to make six saves in the game. On the other end, Pioneer keepers Martinez and Bryce Bookhamer needed just one save to give Cal State East Bay its second win of the CCAA campaign. Suarez led the Pioneers with five shots in the game, while Salas and Max Brixey each had two shots to lead the Otters.

“Rey Suarez had another solid performance,” Cumbo said. “He was a huge threat when he had the ball. He attracted a lot of attention and scored two excellent goals.”

Cal State East Bay returns to action for its final two games of the regular season next weekend. The Pioneers will play host to UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino at Pioneer Stadium on Oct. 26 and 28, respectively.