Sept. 27, 2009
Fullerton, Calif. - Collin Audley's penalty kick goal 3:50 into the first overtime period Sunday gave the University of Denver a 2-1 men's soccer victory over Cal State Fullerton and second place in the 2009 Big West Challenge.
The Pioneers finished 1-0-1 in the tourney to match Coastal Carolina, but the Chanticleers won the tourney championship based on more goals -- 3 to Denver's 2. Fullerton finished 0-1-1 with two goals to place third while Cal State Northridge (0-1-1) was fourth with only one goal.
Denver is now 3-2-2 on the season and the Titans are 4-3-1 going into Big West Conference play Wednesday night at home vs. Cal Poly.
The Pioneers' Josh Wren was tripped in the penalty box by a Fullerton defender to set up the winning score. The Titans just missed victory in regulation when Jesse Escalante hit the left post with a shot with about five minutes remaining.
Fullerton took a 1-0 lead in the 30th minute when Jamall Farquharson found himself at the near left post and able to tap in a short rebound of a shot by Kevin Venegas that caromed off goalkeeper Joe Willis.
Denver got its first goal of the tourney in the 55th minute when Jesse Henderson broke free from midfield and drew a defender before passing left to Alex Tarnoczi, who had Titan goaltender Trevor Whiddon one-on-one and he beat him from about the 18-yard line. Whiddon made 2 saves on the day while Willis made one. Denver took only 13 shots while the Titans had only 8.
In Sunday's first match, the only one of regulation length in the tourney, Austin Eanes' goal from about 10 yards after deft passes from Matt Schroeder and Dylan Riley in the 51st minute proved the difference as Coastal Carolina held on for a 2-1 victory over Cal State Northridge.
The Chanticleers improved to 3-2-3 on the season while the Matadors fell to 5-2-1.
The Matadors nearly tied the match with two seconds remaining but Devin Deldo's angled shot from the left side went just wide of the far post. It was the Matadors' 17th shot of the match to only six for Coastal, which took the lead in the 35th minute when Cyprian Hedrick headed in a corner kick from Djamel Bekka. Schroeder dribbled through traffic from midfield to set up the winning goal, touching the ball to Phelps on the right side, who sent a cross to the left side for Eanes, who easily beat Michael Abalos.
After Eanes' goal, CSUN got on the board in the 62nd minute when Milan Radovic knocked a rebound of a Dylan Riley shot off goalkeeper Scott Angevine into the right side of the net.
Angevine made only two saves but made a couple of acrobat catches of dangerous crosses. Abalos had only one save for the Matadors.
All-tourney team:
Coastal - Alex Russell, Cyprian Hedrick, Riley Phelps, Djamel Bekka
Denver - Joe Willis, Kris Banghart, Mark Weigand
CSF - Matt Sanders, Justin Burney
CSUN - Rafael Garcia, Chad Borak
Standings:
Coastal Carolina - 1-0-1 (4 points, 3 goals)
Denver - 1-0-1 (4 points, 2 goals)
CSF - 0-1-1 (1 point, 2 goals)
CSUN - 0-1-1 (1 points, 1 goal)