IRVINE, Calif. — The Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (1-3-2) erased a two-goal halftime deficit with a thrilling second-half surge to defeat Concordia University Irvine (1-3-0), 3-2, on Tuesday evening at Golden Eagles Field.
GOALS
HOW IT HAPPENED
- CUI took a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute as Nathan Nava's corner kick found Domenyk Jara's head before Ryan Smith's header placed the ball in the back of the net.
- The Golden Eagles doubled their lead in the 13th minute on another corner kick. After being serviced by Angel Reyes, Hugo Viramontes tapped the ball past the goal line on the far corner.
- The Cougars got on the board in the 60th minute as David Ruiz took advantage of a misplayed clearance by the CUI defense and blasted the ball to the back center of the net.
- Efren Nunez Dominguez leveled the match in the 73rd minute with a chipped shot over the CUI keeper to finish off Malachi Wright's setup after driving up the left side.
- On a left-footed, off-balanced shot, Ruiz sealed the win with a buzzer-beating goal, his second of the night, after a blocked shot fell to his feet.
QUICK KICKS
- CUI held the edge in shots at 20-15 (9-5 in shots on goal) with both teams tallying 10 shots each in the second half.
- The Golden Eagles earned seven corner kicks while the Cougars took four.
- CSUSM keeper Tony Flores registered seven saves in the match.
- David Ruiz led CSUSM with five shots, including two goals.
- With the win, CSUSM now leads the all-time series against Concordia Irvine, 7-6.
- The Cougars have won the last three meetings against the Golden Eagles, registering a 2-0 win in Irvine in 2023 and a 1-0 victory in San Marcos in 2024.
UP NEXT
CSUSM will close out its non-conference slate on Thursday, Sept. 25 when it hosts No. 11 Cal State San Bernardino at The Cage. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
