STOCKTON, Calif. – Cal State Fullerton men's soccer battled inclement weather conditions, a subpar field and a veteran University of the Pacific team all night, ultimately falling 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night at Knoles Field.
Fullerton made it to its third NCAA Tournament in four years even with 16 new additions to the team and just three seniors on the team in Nicolo D'Amato, Corentin Ohlmann and Diego Sanchez. The Titans had just three players on the team that had played in the NCAA Tournament previously.
Titans goalkeeper Paul-Andre Guerin played a great game for the Titans, recording five season on the night while facing fuery of traffic in front of the net.
Fullerton went into the locker room at halftime with the game scoreless with help from Guerin's stellar play in net while giving up seven shots and recording five shots of their own.
Pacific scored the first goal of the game in the 54th minute by Bob Groenedijk. Guerin had saved a shot and the defense had blocked a couple of shots before Groenedijk was able to pick up the loose ball. Spencer Vu later added the Tigers second goal in the 84th minute.
Even while down 2-0 late in the match, the Titans refused to quit. Forward Bass Sarr pulled Fullerton within one goal in the 86th minute on a perfectly placed header. The Titans had a couple more strong opportunities in the final two minutes of the game but could not find the goal they needed to send the match to overtime.
The Titans will return 29 players from this seasons squad for the 2018 year, including senior Robert Coronado who will redshirt after suffering an injury in the offseason.
SUPPORT THE TITANS!
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.
FOLLOW THE TITANS!
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan Athletics by following us on Facebook (Facebook/FullertonTitans), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) Instagram (FullertonTitans) and Snapchat (FullertonTitans). In addition, the men's soccer team has established its own Twitter (@CSUFMensSoccer), Facebook (CSUF Men's Soccer) and Instagram accounts (@csufmsoccer).
