By Victor Munoz
Sports editor
Playing their one game of the season on the big stage of the main soccer field at the StubHub Center, and on a night when the national championship squad of 2008 was honored, the CSUDH men’s soccer game did not disappoint, staging a dramatic overtime win Friday over Sonoma State.
In the second period of overtime with 51 seconds remaining, forward Joshua Varon scored the golden goal and gave the team a 3-2 win.
“In extra time with a crowd that big and in front of a stadium like that, scoring in the last 50 seconds it’s a joy,” said Varon. “It’s what everyone lives for. To be able to score that helps the team get into the momentum and carries into the next match.”
And the momentum did carry over, as the Toros defeated Humboldt State on Sunday at Toro Stadium, 1-0. The low score didn’t tell all the story though, as the Toros launched 23 offensive shots. But only Richard Recinos’ found the net. CSUDH head coach Sean Lockhart wasn’t happy about the misses, especially considering the team’s next game is tomorrow, Sept. 26, against Cal State LA, which is 4-0 in conference play.
“At this level when you miss those chances you keep teams in games,” Lockhart said. “And against a team like LA any chance we get we are going to have to put them away because we know they are a quality team.”
After the two wins the Toros improve their record to 3-5 and a 3-1 record in CCAA conference. They are currently tied for second with Chico State and with a possibility to take the top of the table if they claim a victory on Wednesday when they visit Cal State LA, 4-0 in conference play and 7-1 overall.
“We have the momentum, we feel like we could beat anybody right now and that is exactly what we need,” said Varon. “We are going to carry that [momentum] to the next game and get that win.”
The game today is at 12:30 p.m. and can be watched via live stream here.
