The Cal State LA Golden Eagles battled the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros to a scoreless draw on Sept. 27 at Toro Stadium, extending their undefeated streak while remaining winless on the road. All three of their away matches this season have ended in ties.
The first Trafiquito of the season did not disappoint, with 110 fans of both teams fueling the rivalry.
Senior midfielder Alex Mendez (#10) didn’t hesitate when asked to describe Thursday night’s match against Cal State Dominguez Hills. “Today’s game was chaotic,” Mendez said. “It was very intense from the beginning of the whistle to the very end. Emotions were very high, and everyone was putting their best energy, characteristics, and personality.”
Mendez’s words summed up a rivalry game that tested Cal State LA’s composure in the final 15 minutes, as the Golden Eagles held off wave after wave of Toro pressure to secure their third straight draw. “The pressure was handled well,” Mendez added. “These guys showed freaking personality all the way to the very end.”
Associate Head Coach Dallas Jaussi agreed the atmosphere was as fierce as ever. “Playing at Dominguez Hills is always hard,” Jaussi said. “They bring a lot of energy, they have a lot of quality, they run hard, and they make things difficult for the opponent. We knew coming into it would not be an easy game, and we’re really proud of our guys stepping up in a challenging environment and trying to find a win, but also holding on and executing plays defensively.”
One of the game’s strangest moments came in the seventh minute, when confusion broke out inside Cal State LA’s penalty area. Unsure whether to award a penalty, a corner, or an offside, the referee consulted video footage for nearly five minutes before ruling a corner kick for CSUDH, a decision that left the home bench stunned.
Looking ahead, Jaussi said those same qualities will be key as the Golden Eagles prepare for their first-ever trip to UC Merced. “This will be the first time we’ve ever played there, so it’s going to be a whole new experience. But obviously, we want to win away from home. That’s important, especially now going into conference. The benefit of these past games is that we’ve become very hard to beat, very hard to break down. We know the goals and the chances are coming. Once we bury a few, we can probably walk away with the win. But UC Merced is brand new to the conference, and we don’t know much about them. We’re going to give it our best shot.”
Despite the pressure throughout the match, Golden Eagles goalkeeper Brayden McClelland (#30) was sharp to deny the Toros.
The second half remained balanced until the final 15 minutes, when the Toros increased their offensive pressure. McClelland came up big again, making multiple key saves to preserve the clean sheet. In the closing moments, CSUDH defender D. Barahona was shown a red card, leaving the Toros to finish with 10 men.
Cal State LA had chances of its own through Alex Mendez (#10), Jorge Lopez (#21), and Andreas Christou (#29), but none found the net. Defensively, the Golden Eagles looked strong, led by center back Angel Sevillano (#2) and man-of-the-match goalkeeper McClelland (#30).
The Golden Eagles will open CCAA play on the road against UC Merced on Friday, October 3, at 7 p.m., marking their fourth road match of the season.
