Box Score In a game that featured more than its fair share of physical play, Cal State San Marcos men's soccer outlasted Hope International, delighting the home fans with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday.
CSUSM improves to 4-3, the first time all year the Cougars have been above .500. Hope International drops to 2-1.
A crowd of hundreds provided a fantastic atmosphere for the match, as the numerous students in attendance gave the game an added jolt of intensity – not that it needed it. The teams combined to commit over 30 fouls on the day.
The game's lone tally came in the 32nd minute. Off a seemingly innocuous ball in the corner, CSUSM's Ryan VanDenburg emerged with the ball and noticed the Hope keeper had vacated his net. VanDenburg calmly dribbled to a better angle, and drove a perfectly-placed shot off the inside of the post, past the keeper's outstretched arms.
That score would persist through the rest of the first and the entire second half, though both sides had plenty of opportunities. In one sequence, a wide open Hope International player at the near post couldn't redirect in what looked to be a perfect cross following a corner kick. CSUSM would earn a corner kick on the ensuing play, and Richie Kaiser elevated to get a clean header off that flew over the bar by only a foot or two.
Andrew Castro earned the shutout in net for the Cougars.
CSUSM will be back at home this Saturday to take on Fresno Pacific.
