Cal State LA hosted the second round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on Nov 24. The Golden Eagles, playing on their home turf, were ready to make the most out of this playoff game. The Golden Eagles put an end to Cal State Dominguez Hills’ journey by winning with a final score of 4-1, advancing to the next round. This victory for the Golden Eagles felt great, as the Toros had their number in the two previous matchups.
Both teams entered the game with intensity and determination to win this critical playoff game. The Toros offense kept pushing into Golden Eagle territory, but the stampede did not faze the Golden Eagles. The Golden Eagles’ strong defense would squash any rallies that the Toros made heading into halftime. While both teams had a stellar defensive first half, the Golden Eagles Midfielder Ingancio Moreno opened the scoring in the 44th minute of the game, giving the Golden Eagles a 1-0 lead in the half. The goal was the fuel Cal State LA needed for the rest of the game.
Heading into the second half, the Golden Eagles came out the gate strong, surprising the Toros. Midfielder Emil Kischka scored the team’s second goal spectacularly by splitting two Toro defenders for his third goal of the season. Frustration was building up for the Toros as they saw their star player, Mikey McKibbin, ejected after getting his second yellow card of the match in the 61st minute.
The Golden Eagles continued their high momentum as they increased the lead to 3-0 with a goal from Oscar Warne in the 69th minute. 13 minutes later, Jacob Solek added another goal in the 82nd minute, making it 4-0. This fourth goal put the bow on the game, but tension began to build among both teams and the fans in the stands. An altercation broke out among the field and stands, but the altercation was quickly extinguished.
The Toros were close to being shut out, but that was broken up with a goal from Jose Peredia in the 88th minute. The Golden Eagles won the match 4-1, ending their two-game skid against the Toros and advancing to the next round of the tournament.
“It was do or die for us. This was our fourth time playing, and we knew that we needed to execute,” said coach Michael Erush about his team’s stellar performance. “We learned a lot these last couple of weeks on what we needed to better on. Credit Dominguez for giving us a tough time, and the boys executed today.”
The Golden Eagles went on to face Colorado State-Pueblo in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, Dec. 1st, at 2 p.m., but unfortunately lost 3-0, ending their playoff run early.
