IRVINE, Calif. – For the second consecutive match, the Cal State Fullerton men's soccer squad collected a point as Ruben Alvarez' equalizer in the 25th minute proved to be all the offense for the Titans in a 1-1 draw with UC Irvine at Anteater Stadium on Saturday night.
"We came out a little flat defensively and unfortunately taking a goal against is what it took to wake us up," coach George Kuntz said. "Credit UCI for bringing a battle during the game. The second half we were able to solve some things and were better defensively then got hit with a second yellow and played 30 minutes a man down. I'm proud of the team's resolve and resiliency during a critical time on the road. We will continue to learn from these situations and grow. We need to shift our focus to our next match."
With the draw, Fullerton secured second place in the South Division and will either host Cal Poly or UC Davis on Nov. 5 at Titan Stadium in the first round of the Big West Men's Soccer Tournament.
Both teams wasted no time getting their attacks going as Robert Coronado almost put the Titans up 1-0 in the sixth minute with a strike that came within inches of the net but the ball hit the post to keep the match scoreless.
Four minutes later, UC Irvine netted the first goal of the night off a beautiful sequence in the box. Thomas Janjigian took a touch in the box and redirected the ball to Ivan Canales who passed to Edgardo Molina who put a shot inside the far post to give the Anteaters an early 1-0 lead in the 10th minute.
After the goal, Fullerton found itself back tracking a bit as UC Irvine was putting the pressure on the Titans by continuing to push its attack in the box. The Anteaters came close to extending their lead in the 17th minute, but David Elias made a nice save diving to his right to keep the lead at 1-0.
In the 25th minute, the Titans got their equalizer as Ruben Alvarez took an Alex Heilmann pass through the box and scored his first goal of the season to tie the match at one. The goal was only the second one of Alvarez' career and gave Fullerton some momentum back.
Ross McPhie and Brandon West came within inches of giving the Titans the lead in the final stages of the first half, but McPhie's effort hit the post and West's shot was saved off the goalkeeper's face to keep the match tied at one through the first 45 minutes.
UC Irvine outshot Fullerton in the first half by two shots (8-6), but the Titans held their own in corners (2-2) and Elias made two saves to Elliot Famer's one.
The Titans started the second half right where they left off as West put up an unbelievable shot from 40-yards out three minutes in, but Farmer made the save. Coronado kept Farmer on his toes as he also had a shot on goal a minute later that would once against be saved by the UC Irvine goalkeeper.
McPhie continued to cause some havoc in the attacking half for Fullerton as he got a couple strong chances at goal late in the second half but couldn't connect.
In the 81st minute, Coronado was shown a red card by the center official, which put the Titans down a man for the remainder of the match.
Alvarez put up the final shot for Fullerton in regulation but it was blocked and through 90 minutes both teams were tied at one.
After a scoreless first overtime period, Titan goalkeeper Elias made a leaping save in the first minute of double overtime to prevent a chip shot from UC Irvine's Randall McDermott from going in. The senior continued his strong night in the net as he saved a header from Felipe Silva later in the period to finish the night with seven saves, which is a season-high for the Huntington Beach native.
Unfortunately, Fullerton couldn't find a late winner and had to settle for a point on the road as they match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Up next for the Titans is a match with the University of San Diego next Wednesday in their final regular season match of the year. The contest will be played in San Diego and begin at 7 p.m. PT.
For more information and updates on the Fullerton men's soccer squad, follow us on Twitter (@CSUFMensSoccer) and like our Facebook page (Cal St. Fullerton Men's Soccer).