HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's soccer team lost a heartbreaker to visiting Academy of Art on Saturday night on a golden goal less than two minutes into the overtime period.
The Pioneers (1-1) out-shot the Urban Knights 21-8 for the game, but nonetheless came up short by a score of 2-1. Academy's Alex Walsh received a chip pass inside the box and scored in the upper corner of the net to stun a Pioneer squad that had dominated most of the contest.
East Bay jumped out to an early lead when
Duke Driggs found the back of the net on a left-footed shot following a Pioneer corner kick. They were unable to extend their lead, however, and the Urban Knights evend the score just before halftime when Nick Santhiago got free on a through ball and chipped a shot over CSUEB keeper
Adrian Topete. The Pioneers controlled possession and took 13 shots in the second half, but couldn't manage to net the game-winner.
"I was happy with the chances we generated tonight, but frustrated with our inability to score goals," said head coach
Andy Cumbo. "With more than 20 shots and 10 corner kicks, we should have been able to score more than once. We had some moments when we lost our focus, and we need to make sure we do a better job of that going forward."
"I thought
Michael Paiva played had a strong performance in the midfield, and
Victor Calderon helped us move forward a number of times," Cumbo added.
The Pioneers are back in action this week when they host a pair of tough Pacific Northwest squads. They'll welcome Western Washington into Pioneer Stadium for a 7 p.m. contest on Thursday, Sept. 10.
