Sept. 12, 2008
Colorado Springs, CO -
Compliments of Air Force sports information
Shay Spitz and Kevin Venegas each scored for Cal State Fullerton as the Titans shut out Air Force, 2-0, Friday in men's soccer action at Cadet Soccer Stadium. With the victory, CSF improved to 2-3 this season while Air Force fell to 0-4.
Air Force dominated most of the first half, placing five shots on goal against CSF goalie Trevor Whiddon in the initial 20 minutes. Whiddon was up to the task, however, saving all five shots, including a diving save off a rocket from Falcon senior Reid Gaiser in the 13th minute.
The last minute of the first half was full of action, starting with Air Force co-captain Kevin Rosser receiving his second yellow card of the game and an ejection with exactly one minute remaining. Twenty seconds later, Falcon defender Ryan Robinson saved a shot off the goal line from Fullerton's Mario Alvarez that had sneaked by Air Force goalie Jim Gullo.
Gullo wasn't as lucky just a few seconds later as Spitz put the Titans up 1-0 with nine seconds left in the first half when he fired a shot from 22 yards out that deflected off an Air Force defender and into the net.
The Falcons, who outshot CSF 10-6 in the first half, could not muster many scoring opportunities playing a man down in the second stanza. The Titans outshot AFA, 15-2, and increased their lead to 2-0 in the 66th minute when Venegas' shot from 20 yards grazed the crossbar above Gullo and went in the net. Jose Gomez was credited with an assist on the play.
Whiddon finished the game with five saves and Gomez saved a shot for CSF in the second half. Gullo made three saves for the Falcons.
"I was really pleased with the way that we reponded to the tough conditions," said Head Coach Bob Ammann. "Anyone that has played at Air Force knows how difficult it is, especially when you throw in the fact that it hadn't stopped raining since our arrival. The altitude and wet field forced us to deal with situations that we aren't accustomed to. I thought we handled ourselves very well.
"I thought that we played smart tactically and took advantage of our opportunities. Scoring the goal a minute before halftime was a big plus and gave the boys a lot of confidence. The second half was all about finishing it off.
"We played closer to our abilities today and welcome the result. We have another tough game on Sunday (at Denver) and will need to focus and be prepared for the challenge."