Reporter
The CSU Bakersfield men’s soccer team came up with a 1-0 win in its first home conference game of the season against the Utah Valley University Wolverines.
The win followed a 4-0 road loss to No. 20 Seattle University on Friday, Sept. 29.
“I think this was really important for our team. We had been on the road for seven games and it has been difficult,” said CSUB coach Richie Grant. We had a little pressure on us today to make sure we get something in the home conference games.”
The Roadrunners possessed the ball for a great amount of the first half, but just couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities they had. They managed to keep their goal untouched however, as redshirt-freshman goalkeeper Detre Bell made some important saves.
“After the game against Seattle we had a team talk and the main thing that was talked about was having grit,” said Bell. “To play a tough game on Friday and another tough game today we had to take care of our bodies to perform well.”
At the start of the second half, CSUB earned a penalty kick off a handball in the box which resulted in double reds, one for each team. Senior defender Jamie Carey-Morrel smashed the ball into the right corner to give CSUB the 1-0 lead and his third goal of the season at the 46:01 mark.
“When I step up to take a penalty kick it’s just another chance to score a goal,” said Carey-Morrel. “In any situation like that I am very confident because of the team and coaches that I play with, every one of them has a player’s back no matter if someone does good or bad.”
The rest of the game turned very physical, the Roadrunners had a total of eighteen fouls resulting in five yellow cards, while the Wolverines only had seven fouls and no yellow cards. The Wolverines did manage to outshoot the Runners 14-8, but CSUB had more shots on goal compared to the Wolverines, 5-4.
The Roadrunners will be at the Main Soccer Field for back-to-back home conference games this week. On Friday, Oct. 6, CSUB will host Grand Canyon University at 7 p.m. This game will also have the celebration for the 20–year anniversary of the 1997 squad that won the NCAA Division II National Championship.
The Roadrunners will then host the University of Nevada Las Vegas on Sunday Oct. 8 at 1 p.m.
