Men’s soccer has a close call

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Photo by Matlyn Peden. Courtesy of Fresno Pacific University

Golden Eagle midfielder Morton Bjoershol fights for the ball. Cal State LA won against Fresno Pacific University 2-1.

On the first road trip of the season, the Golden Eagles entered the match against Fresno Pacific with two things on their mind: teamwork and success. 

“Winning the game, getting our record to 3-0-0 by playing our way, and staying focused was on my mind when entering the game. My goal was to score in order to help my team succeed,” said senior forward Robin Lindahl. 

However, they had a tough time during the first half. Their struggles showed early on, Fresno Pacific scored in the third minute and ended the first half with a 1-0 advantage. 

After getting off to a rough start, the Golden Eagles had to take halftime to gather their thoughts and plan their comeback.

“To become a successful team you have to deal with those circumstances sometimes, and we knew that we were capable of still winning the game. [During] halftime we made sure to keep playing our game,” said senior midfielder Tim Klefisch. 

That is exactly what he and the rest of the team did. The squad was given their comeback chance, and took it when Klefisch scored off a penalty kick in the 69th minute. 

Although the score was tied, the Golden Eagles were back on their feet, and they made sure to keep it that way. Lindahl scored a second goal during the 77th minute off an assist from defender Jose Orellana for a 2-1 win. 

“Considering this is the first game away, we are happy about the win, playing away is always difficult … there is always room for improvement, and we just need to keep getting better each day and learn from every game,” said junior midfielder David Elizaga.