#2 Stanford (4-0-3, 0-0-2)
No Goals in Cardinal’s Pac-12 Opener
The match between Stanford and #25 UCLA ended up in a scoreless draw on Thursday night.
The first half was relatively even, though Stanford did threaten in the 29th minute, when Keegan Hughes’ header was stopped by UCLA goalkeeper Nate Crockford and Fletcher Bank’s rebound attempt hit the side netting.
In the second half, the Cardinal were the dominant team, outshooting the Bruins 11-0.
They had an excellent chance in the 60th minute, when Carlo Agostinelli headed a cross that beat Crockford, but a UCLA defender headed it off the line for a corner kick.
But perhaps the Cardinal’s best chances came in the final 10 minutes. In the 81st minute, Crockford pushed away a hard shot from Liam Doyle to set up a UCLA clearance.
In the final minute, Crockford came off his line to stop a shot by Bank. Agostinelli grabbed the rebound at the top of the penalty area, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
Crockford made four saves in keeping a clean sheet while Stanford goalkeeper Matt Frank didn’t face any shots on goal.
23 Shots But No Goals in Cardinal’s Draw With San Diego State
The Cardinal’s scoring woes continued on Sunday as kept up pressure for the full 90 minutes but had to settle for a scoreless draw with San Diego State.
Stanford outshot the Aztecs 23-3. San Diego State goalkeeper Jacob Castro was credited with 8 saves. Stanford goalkeeper Matt Frank also kept a clean sheet; he faced 1 shot on goal.
The Cardinal’s best chance in the first half came in the 34th minute, when Castro made a diving save on a bicycle kick by Carlo Agostinelli.
Stanford had 16 shots in the second half, but their frustrations continued. Mark Fisher came closest in the 84th minute, when his blast from inside the penalty arc beat Castro but bounced off the crossbar.
Cal (2-2-3, 1-1-0)
Golden Bears Take Conference Opener Over San Diego State
Cal scored a pair of goals in the first 45 minutes of their Pac-12 opener and hung on for a 2-0 win over visiting San Diego State on Thursday.
(Courtesy of Jaden Yenjai, UC Berkeley)
Nonso Adimabua got Cal on the scoreboard in the 36th minute, his first goal as a Golden Bear after transferring from USF. Adrian Guzman sent in a cross from 25 yards out as Adimabua made his run into the six-yard box. The ball was just out of reach for goalkeeper Jacob Castro and Adimabua chested the ball into the net, as the Aztecs appealed for a handball.
Guzman added the second goal in the 43rd minute on a strong individual effort. He dribbled into the penalty area, shifted the ball to his left foot to avoid two Aztec defenders and blasted a shot into the upper left corner of the net.
The visitors had a lot of possession, including 17 corner kicks, but very few clear chances. Cal goalkeeper Collin Travasos made two saves in recording his second consecutive clean sheet.
Golden Bears Fall to UCLA
Shoei Honda’s 40th minute goal gave Cal the lead, but #25 UCLA came roaring back to claim a 2-1 victory at Edwards Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The goal was set up by Christian Gomez, who chipped the ball into a crowded penalty area. Honda grabbed the loose ball with his back to the goal and backheeled it past goalkeeper Nate Crockford.
But the Bruins equalized on a set piece 32 seconds before the halftime whistle. Tommy Silva’s corner kick was headed toward the near post by Aaron Edwards and Kevin Diaz slid onto the turf and poked it into the net.
The game-winner came in the 76th minute on another corner kick from Silva, who found Jose Contell as he made his run toward the near-post. Contell’s header just barely squeezed past goalkeeper Collin Travasos.
Santa Clara (3-2-1)
Thomas’s Lone Goal Enables Broncos to Outlast Utah Tech
A second half goal by Oladayo Thomas enabled the Broncos to escape with a 1-0 win at Utah Tech on Monday night. Utah Tech is in its third year of a four year transitionary period into Division I and the Western Athletic Conference.
The Broncos’ Joshua Dabora set up the winning goal in the 62nd minute. He grabbed a loose ball on the right side, switched the ball to his left foot to avoid an onrushing defender, and chipped the ball toward the far post where Thomas was waiting to head the ball into the net.
Thomas had another scoring chance in the 78th minute, but his shot from a difficult angle was saved by Trailblazers goalkeeper Jacob Zimmerman and the rebound was cleared away by a Utah Tech defender.
Both teams struggled to create quality chances in the match. Zimmerman made only one save, on Thomas’s late chance, while Santa Clara goalkeeper Felix Schaefer was able to keep a clean sheet without having to make any saves.
Anamoo’s Brace Helps Broncos Complete Comeback
A brace by Jesse Anamoo enabled the Broncos to overcome a two-goal deficit and beat Utah Valley by a score of 3-2 on Friday night.
But Santa Clara’s first home win of the season didn’t come easily. The Wolverines jumped out into the lead in the 6th minute, when Owen Knecht scored from close range. And they doubled their lead in the 18th minute, when Ura Miura scored with his left foot after a run down the right side.
But the Broncos cut the deficit in half five minutes before halftime on a set piece. Adem Hamdaoua’s corner kick found Damani Osei open for a header from close range.
And the Broncos climbed back into the match in the 54th minute, when Jesse Anamoo headed home a pass from James Redington
And Anamoo scored the game winner in the 77th minute, set up by a chip from Joshua Dabora.
Saint Mary’s (5-2-0)
Gaels Recover to Beat Anteaters After Shock Second Minute Goal
The Gaels got off to a rocky start, but recovered with three second-half goals to record a 3-1 win at UC Irvine on Monday afternoon.
(Courtesy of Matt Brown, UC Irvine)
The Anteaters shocked Saint Mary’s by getting on the board 98 seconds into the match. From deep in his own zone, Mario Anaya sent a long ball into the box just as Francesco Montanile got behind the Saint Mary’s backline. Goalkeeper Kash Oladapo rushed out to challenge him, but Montanile was able to loft the ball over Oladopo’s head and into the empty net.
Montanile had another shot on target in the 5th minute, but Oladopo made the stop.
Saint Mary’s came out with renewed energy in the second half, but weren’t able to score until the 65th minute. Valentin Kurz’s through ball found Omar Yehya making a deep run down the right side. Yehya’s short cross found Tyler Hardin with the lethal first touch for first goal of the season.
The Gaels took the lead in the 72nd minute, when Gaige Gibbs found Jack Vestberg who dribbled the ball into the area and fired a low, hard shot that scooted by goalkeeper Luke Pruter.
Saint Mary’s added a final goal five minutes later, when Louis Sterobo headed home a cross after the home side had successfully defended a Gaels corner kick.
Gaels Earn Road Win at Cal Poly
After a challenging start to the season, the Gaels won their fourth consecutive match with a 1-0 win at Cal Poly on Saturday.
Wade Muttitt scored the only goal of the match in the 16th minute. The goal was set up by Riley Lynch who made a run to the edge of the penalty area and crossed the ball to Cade Cowan, who quickly shuttled it over to Muttitt. Goalkeeper Wade Penner tried to make the leaping save, but Muttitt’s shot settle in the upper right corner of the net.
Saint Mary’s goalkeeper Kash Oladapo made three saves in keeping a clean sheet, including a breakaway from Max Kleinhammes in the 54th minute. The Mustangs’ Drew Patterson also tried a bicycle kick in the 58th, but the shot was off target.
USF (5-0-2)
Dons Rout Cal Poly on Steve Negoesco Night
The Dons wrapped up their season opening six match homestand in style, with three players scoring their first collegiate goals in a 6-0 win over Cal Poly on Monday night. Prior to the match, USF honored the memory of legendary head coach Steve Negoesco on what would have been his 97th birthday.
USF scored first in the 22nd minute, when a Cal Poly defender tried to head the ball out of danger. Nathan Simeon trapped the ball with his foot and guided it over to Max Hamelink who blasted home a low shot from just inside the penalty area.
Cal Poly’s Drew Patterson had a couple of good chances in the first half, but USF goalkeeper Eric Waltz made diving stop on his free kick in the 25th minute and smothered a shot from close range on a breakaway in the 27th minute.
The Dons’ second goal came on a corner kick in the 38th minute. Elias Thomas shoveled the ball to Reid Roberts for the finish from close range.
The hosts put the match away early in the second half with three goals in 4 minutes. The first came 35 seconds after the second half kickoff, when Zane Alafranji scored thanks to a feed from Dominic Valdivia.
Valdivia added a goal of his own at the 47 minute mark on a breakaway.
Arjan Dosanjh added another on a corner kick at the 49 minute mark, reaching his leg out to redirect the loose ball into the net.
Donsanjh also set up the final goal in the 70th minute, laying off the ball to enable Mason Dougherty to score from the top of the penalty area.
Dons Earn First Road Win at CSU Bakersfield
The Dons earned their first road win of the season with a 3-0 triumph over CSU Bakersfield.
Andri Jonasson scored the first goal in the 21st minute. He sprinted the length of the field, and dished the ball off to Nathan Simeon on the right-side of the 18-yard box. Simeon’s cross enabled Jonasson to deflect the ball with his chest into the net.
Jonasson added another in the 57th minute when a loose ball landed at his feet for an easy finish inside the six-yard box.
Just 44 seconds later, Arjan Dosanjh’s long shot from the top of the box sailed past Roadrunners goalkeeper Filippo Dadone.
Goalkeeper Eric Waltz made 3 saves for USF in keeping the clean sheet.
San Jose State (2-3-1)
First Half Golazo is Enough for the Spartans
The Spartans rushed out to a three-goal first half lead and held on to claim a 3-2 win at UC Davis on Wednesday.
Riccardo Scarafia opened the scoring for the Spartans in the 7th minute, Joel Garcia added another in the 28th, and Beau Leroux added a third in the 37th minute.
But the home side came roaring back in the second half to make things interesting. Max Glasser’s goal in the 69th minute was set up by a cross from Ethan Hoard that was redirected by Kevin Welch to Glasser for the tap-in.
Zack Lillington put a scare into the Spartans with his 83rd minute goal. After a corner kick, Lillington took a shot that went off the far post. Kevin Welch’s shot was saved by Spartan goalkeeper David Sweeney before Lillington was able to grab the rebound and put it in the net.
In the final few minutes of the match, the Aggies took five shots looking for the equalizer, but none were on target. They won a corner kick in the 90th minute, but a header from Ethan Hoard sailed over the bar.
