BERKELEY, Calif. - The No. 15 seed California Golden Bears (11-6-1, 4-5-1 Pac-12) knocked off the Southern Illinois University – Edwardsville Cougars (8-9-4, 4-1-1 MVC), 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at Edwards Stadium in the second round of the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Tournament. The Bears were paced by senior Bobby Sekine’s second goal of the year to advance to the third round of the tournament, while redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Mangels anchored the squad’s defense, recording his second-career shutout.
“It was a great team performance today,” said head coach Kevin Grimes. “SIUE is one of the best teams we have played all year – this is the second time we have played them – so we knew how good of a team they were. For us, it was a great match against a great opponent.”
Cal got the first look on goal just one minute into the contest, but senior Stefano Bonomo’s attempt was stopped as SIUE’s keeper Kyle Dal Santo logged his first of six saves for the match.
In the seventh minute, sophomore Christian Thierjung gained control of the ball and set up a shot for Sekine, who found the far post; however, Sekine was called offside on the play, and the goal was nullified.
The Bears produced another quality opportunity in the 30th minute when senior Seth Casiple sent a corner kick to Bonomo, but his header sailed just inches high of the frame. The senior forward made one last effort to put the Bears on the board with 15 seconds left in the first half, but the teams entered the break scoreless.
The Cougars nearly took lead in the 63rd minute after senior defender Matt Polster drilled a shot right through a pair of Cal defenders, but the ball hit off the crossbar to keep the game tangled, 0-0.
With 19:45 left in regulation, the Blue and Gold finally broke through. Bonomo fired a cross from sophomore Nick Lima, but the ball was deflected by Dal Santo. Sekine picked up the rebound for his second goal in just as many games to seal the deal for the Golden Bears, 1-0.
With the win, Cal will advance to the third round of the NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament and will face the winner of tonight’s UCLA/San Diego match on Sunday, Nov. 30. For the time and location, please check CalBears.com for the most up to date information on the Bears’ third-round fixture.
1 2 F
California 0 1 1
SIUE 0 0 0
Scoring Summary
70:15 CAL – Bobby Sekine (Stefano Bonomo)
