It's a big week for the CSUB men's soccer team. This weekend, CSUB will hit the road to test the waters in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, it's first conference contests in three years. First up will be UNLV on Friday, followed by a Sunday matinee match against New Mexico.
The Roadrunners are riding a four-match unbeaten streak following a 0-0 double overtime draw against Big West member Cal Poly. Prior to that, they had strung together a trio of victories for their longest win streak since making the move to Division I.
Those results granted the 'Runners a No. 74 ranking in the first official RPI poll, released by the NCAA Monday. The only opponents on their schedule ranked higher are No. 14 New Mexico, No. 34 UCSB, No. 37 Loyola Marymount and No. 53 Cal State Fullerton. And from that list of four, the 'Runners have two wins, a 1-0 decision over LMU and a 2-1 final against Fullerton.
Key to CSUB's recent success has been the development of the freshman class. A minimum of six freshmen have seen significant field time in each of the last four matches, and their contributions have continued to grow.
Eric Shannon has been a mainstay in goal since day-one and has flourished as of late, allowing just one score in his last four outings. He is tied for first in the MPSF in shutouts (4) and shutouts per game (0.40), while also making 28 saves to go along with a 1.16 goals against average. Last Saturday against Cal Poly, he came up with two tremendous saves, diving to punch potential game-winners just over the crossbar in the final minute of regulation and the final seconds of overtime.
Other freshman getting into the mix include midfielder Jesus Sanchez, who leads the team with four assists. He has been the set-up man on two game-winners and is also looking to become a direct threat in front of the goal. Kory Kindle made the most of his second collegiate start, tallying a goal and assisting the other in a 2-0 win over Appalachian State. He is also one of CSUB's biggest threats in the air.
Evan Fassler (two goals), Justin Finch (one goal) and Ernesto Hinojosa (one assist) have also infused the Roadrunner lineup as of late, showing great promise for the final swing of matches in 2009 and the overall future of the program.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment