SAN MARCOS, Calif. – Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team used the momentum of a big penalty kick save late in the first half and scored early in the second to win its 2017 season opener and NCAA Division II debut 2-1 against Concordia Irvine. Senior Victor Gonzalez and sophomore Parker Hodges scored the goals for the Cougars while sophomore Alex Franklin made three saves protecting the net.
 
Gonzalez put the Cougars (1-0-0) on the board at 13:13 when he deposited a deflected shot from freshman Rodrigo Rodriguez to the right post for the first goal for the men's team as full-fledged NCAA members.
 
Fifteen minutes later, the Eagles (0-1-0) found their equalizer off the foot of Elijah Amadin, who one-timed a shot to the middle of the goal off a Connor Gordon crossing pass.
 
Another scoring chance came in the 40^th minute when CUI obtained a penalty kick after a CSUSM foul in the box. Gordon lined up and stalked the ball. As he fired to his left, Franklin extended his full frame and deflected the opportunity to keep the game even at 1-1 after 45 minutes. CSUSM held an 11-5 advantage in shots in the first half.
 
Eleven minutes into the second period, junior Noah Park dribbled out wide to his left and found some daylight moving toward the end line. His left-footed through ball to the near post ended up on Hodges' head for a gorgeous one-timer inside the left post for his first goal of the season.
 
Concordia ramped up the pressure late in the second half seeking another tying effort, but a 6-4 overall shot advantage resulted in two Franklin saves and no equalizers.
 
"We played 21 players, so I think that is a testament to the depth in our team," CSUSM head coach Ron Pulvers said. "Conditions didn't help us a lot today … but we have good balance, we have good quality."
 
CSUSM continues early, non-league play on Saturday, Sept. 2 at California Baptist. Match time is at 10 a.m. with video and statistics available on CSUSMCougars.com.