SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team scored two goals in the final two minutes to take down Cal State Monterey Bay in thrilling fashion, 3-2, in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play on Sunday afternoon at The Cougar Den.
Luka Stevanovic scored his second goal of the match in the 89
th minute before freshman substitute
David Martin headed in his first collegiate goal with five seconds remaining in regulation time to lift the Cougars to their first-ever back-to-back CCAA victories.
Following Friday's 3-0 win over San Francisco State, the Cougars improve to 5-5-2 overall and 3-4-1 in CCAA play.
CSUMB drops to 7-4-0 overall, 4-3-0 CCAA.
Alejando Garcia gave 10-man CSUMB a 2-1 lead in the 74
th minute, forcing the Cougars to play three at the back in search of the tying goal.
With two minutes left, CSUMB's Nick Stanley attempted to dribble out of his own box, only to be pick-pocketed by CSUSM center back
Bryson Gaitan. Gaitan played a low hard cross to
Andrew Stalboerger near the penalty spot and Stalboerger flicked it forward.
Stevanovic pounced on it inside the six and buried it near post to tie the match with 1:52 remaining.
Sensing overtime, CSUSM head coach
Ron Pulvers subbed in Martin, a defender, for Stevanovic to balance out the Cougar lineup. Little did Pulvers know that the Cougars would not be done scoring before the final whistle.
CSUSM forced CSUMB to play inside its own end before forcing another turnover. This time,
Saul Resendiz played it out wide for left-midfielder
Zach Olow.
Olow took his man on and then cut toward the end line. He sent a cross to the back post intended for a group of Cougar players and Martin was the first to meet it inside the six. Unmarked, Martin headed it into the top of the net for the game-winner.
CSUSM heads north to face Sonoma State and Humboldt State on Friday, Oct. 16 and Sunday, Oct. 18, respectively.