SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (6-7-3, 5-4-0 CCAA) clinched a berth in the CCAA Tournament for the second time in program history with a 1-0 win against UC Merced (3-9-3, 2-6-1 CCAA) on Sunday at The Cage.
GOALS
CSUSM – 74' Brooklyn Baker (Assisted by Andrew Valencia & Manny Solis)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Scoreless after 45 minutes, CSUSM led the half in shots (12-3), shots on goal (4-1) and corner kicks (3-0) while controlling possession for 62% of the period. Five Cougars had two shots each for the half.
- The game's momentum shifted towards the Cougars in the 74th minute. Outside the top of the box on the right side, Manny Solis made a pass to his right to Andrew Valencia, who immediately sent a cross over to the left corner of the six-yard box to Brookyn Baker. On the second touch, Baker put a shot into the upper left portion of the goal to give CSUSM a 1-0 lead.
QUICK KICKS
- CSUSM ended the game with the edge in shots (15-7), shots on goal (5-2), corner kicks (7-3) and possession (59%-41%).
- Baker's goal was his first of the season.
- Valencia's assist was his second of the year while Solis' was his first.
- The Cougars' only other CCAA Tournament appearance occurred in 2023.
- This was the first-ever meeting between CSUSM and UC Merced.
UP NEXT
CSUSM will be look to improve its seed for the first round of the CCAA Tournament in its regular-season finale against fourth-place Cal State LA on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. in The Cage.
Latest Men's Soccer
- Flores Named FloCollege/CCAA Defensive Player of the WeekSenior goalkeeper Tony Flores of Cal State San Marcos earned FloCollege/CCAA Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week honors after back-to-back shutouts secured the Cougars' spot in the CCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history. Flores notched two clean sheets over Cal Poly Pomona and UC Merced, with seven saves across the weekend.
- CSUSM Earns Massive 1-0 Win Against Cal Poly PomonaThe Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (5-7-3, 4-4-0 CCAA) earned a huge three points with a 1-0 win against (RV) Cal Poly Pomona (7-4-5, 2-3-3 CCAA) on Friday afternoon at The Cage.
- Faith, Resilience Help Athlete Through Life-Threatening Crisis
- Cougars Fall 3-0 in Final Road Game Against CoyotesThe Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (4-7-3, 3-4-0 CCAA) fell 3-0 in its final road game of the regular season at Cal State San Bernardino (8-2-5, 3-1-3 CCAA) on Sunday at Premier Field.
- CSUSM Drops 3-1 Decision to No. 16 CSUDHThe Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (4-6-3, 3-3 CCAA) suffered a 3-1 defeat to No. 16 Cal State Dominguez Hills (9-2-3, 6-0-1 CCAA) on Friday afternoon at The Cage.
- CSUSM Takes 1-0 Loss at No. 2 Stanislaus StateAn early second-half goal was the difference as the Cal State San Marcos men's soccer team (4-5-3, 3-2-0 CCAA) fell 1-0 to No. 2 Stanislaus State (11-0-1, 5-0-1 CCAA) on Sunday afternoon at Warrior Stadium.
