FULLERTON, Calif. – After 110 minutes of toe-to-toe action, Fullerton and San Diego ended in a 1-1 draw Sunday night at Titan Stadium.
The Titans grabbed the momentum early in the match on a header from Ross McPhie off a perfect corner kick from senior midfielder Diego Sanchez. The goal was McPhie's third of the season, equaling his total amount from 2016.
Following the Titans goal, San Diego immediately went on the attack attempting to even up the score. Fullerton held them off for what appeared to be the reminder of the first period when Miguel Berry of San Diego controlled a loose ball inside the box and buried it with five seconds remaining to even the game at 1-1 before heading to halftime.
Both teams looked to counter and gain an edge in the second period. San Diego got off eight second period shots while the Titans added five of their own. The teams were almost even when it came to opportunities in the offensive zone as the Titans had 10 shots in the match with San Diego attempting 13. The Toreros earned seven corner kicks in the game while Fullerton made the most of its six corners, scoring on one.
For the third straight game sophomore Alfredo Cortez was magnificent in goal, giving up just one goal while recording six saves. Cortez made several diving saves to keep the Toreros score to just one.
The two overtime periods were much more of a defensive game in comparison to the two periods of regulation. The Titans didn't have a single shot in overtime while San Diego had just one.
The Titans and Toreros both liked unsatisfied with the draw at the end of the match. So much so that Berry who scored the goal for San Diego, picked up a yellow card after the final whistle had sounded.
While the game may have been somewhat of a disappointment for both sides, the atmosphere at Titan Stadium was exciting as 144 kids from Region 55 Huntington Beach AYSO were in attendance along with another 386 of their parents and friends.
"It was a great experience. It was the first time that Region 55 has been here and I thought it was a really good turnout for the first time," said Region 55 President Mark Di Lauro. "I think it will only grow from here. All I heard was positive words from everybody, kids had a great time and the parents had a great time."
Kids of all ages lined the field for the Titans to run through as they came out of the locker room and onto the pitch for the pregame festivities. The kids then got to stand with the Titans for the pregame introductions and national anthem in the middle of the field.
At halftime four teams got to play a game of soccer on the field and following the game every kid got a poster of all the Titans where the student-athletes then signed autographs for each child.
With the autograph session behind them, the Titans now look to refocus and finish off the three-game homestand strong when they face UNLV Friday night at Titan Stadium.
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Fans can purchase tickets for various Cal State Fullerton athletic events by visiting FullertonTitans.com/Tickets.The Athletic Ticket Office can also be contacted by phone at 657-278- 2783 or by emailat athletictixs@fullerton.edu. The Ticket Office is located at the Titan House off of Gymnasium Drive at theeastern end of the Intramural Fields and is open from 10 am – 4 pm PT, Monday – Friday.
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