SAN MARCOS, Calif. — Cal State East Bay men's soccer mounted an inspired second-half comeback on the road but fell just short in a 5–3 loss to Cal State San Marcos. The Pioneers found themselves trailing 4–0 before storming back with three goals in a four-minute span to pull within striking distance. The Cougars then netted a late insurance goal to preserve the win and move EB to 3-4-3 overall and 1-1-2 in CCAA play.
The match began with both teams exchanging early chances before San Marcos broke through in the 13th minute on a goal by David Ruiz. Four minutes later, Justin Carreon converted a penalty kick to make it 2–0. East Bay continued to push forward through the rest of the half, generating seven shots and two corner kicks, but couldn't beat San Marcos goalkeeper Tony Flores.
The Cougars added to their lead early in the second half when Cisco Avila scored and San Marcos then earned another penalty in the 73rd minute to make it 4–0. The Pioneers however, would not go down without a fight. In the 78th minute, Yuto Hatayama put East Bay on the board, finishing a crisp passing sequence from Kiichi Murakami and Alejandro Zarate. Just over a minute later, the same duo connected again as Zarate and Murakami found Alexis Villanueva Zavala for strike from just outside the box to make it 4-2. The momentum continued just three minutes later when Franco De Luna rose up to head home a long Zarate cross in the 82nd minute to pull the Pioneers within one.
East Bay nearly netted the game-tying goal in the 88th minute but the goal was called off due to offsides. San Marcos then struck back late with Avila notching his second goal of the game to seal the win.
Despite the defeat, East Bay outshot San Marcos 17–12, including a 10–5 advantage in the second half. Zarate recorded a career-high three assists pushing his total on the season to seven. Goalkeeper Julian Escobar made three saves in 90 minutes in net.
The Pioneers return home next week to take on Cal State LA and Cal State Monterey bay in a pair of key CCAA matchups.
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- Pioneers Tie No. 2 Stanislaus State 2-2 in CCAA OpenerTURLOCK, Calif. – Cal State East Bay men's soccer earned a hard-fought draw against the No. 2 team in the country on Friday afternoon, tying Stanislaus State 2-2 at Warrior Stadium. The result moved the Pioneers to 2-3-2 overall and 0-0-1 in CCAA play, while the Warriors went to 6-0-1 and 0-0-1.
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- Pioneer Preview: Sept. 24-30
