Cougar men's soccer cruised to a first-round victory at the A.I.I. Tournament on Wednesday, defeating Embry-Riddle 3-1 in their home stadium in Phoenix, AZ.

Playing in their first game in two weeks, the Cougars showed some signs of rust, according to Head Coach Ron Pulvers, but were able to get the job done with relative ease. The third-seeded Cougars will take on second-seeded St. Thomas tomorrow.

CSUSM benefitted from an own goal by Embry-Riddle in the 9th minute, jumping out to an early 1-0 lead.  The Cougars continued to apply the pressure, with Brandon Zuniga scoring his team-leading ninth goal off an assist from Max Blumenshine in the 35th minute to put the Cougars up 2-0.  Midfielder Bradley Seidenglanz would put the game away early in the second half with an unassisted goal.  Embry-Riddle scored with just seconds remaining in the game to make the final score 3-1.

For the game, the Cougars out-shot Embry-Riddle 15-1, held a 7-1 shots on goal advantage, and an 8-0 advantage in corner kicks.

"My expectations for this team are very high, and we got a good result today," commented Head Coach Ron Pulvers.  He also noted that the team will need to bring their "A" game tomorrow to take down a very good St. Thomas team.