MEN'S SOCCER OPENS UP SECOND HALF OF MPSF PLAY AT AIR FORCE, DENVER

10/29/2008

FOLLOWING BYE WEEK, HORNETS TRAVEL TO AIR FORCE, DENVER
    Following the bye week that occurs at the halfway mark of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation schedule, the Hornets will return to action this weekend at Air Force and at Denver. Air Force is 1-2 in home conference games, 2-3 overall, while Denver leads the conference with a perfect 5-0 mark, including a 2-0 record at home.

MEN’S SOCCER DROPS 2-1 DECISION TO DENVER
    Denver scored two goals in a 4:01 span over two halves to defeat the Sacramento State men’s soccer team, 2-1, on Sunday, Oct. 19 at Hornet Soccer Field.
    In an evenly played match that saw both teams have plenty of chances on goal, Denver was able to sandwich a pair of goals around the halftime intermission to take a 2-0 lead. With :19 seconds remaining in the first half, Joey Mathot hit a free kick from midfield that was flicked on by Colin Jones onto the awaiting right foot of Ryan Aweida, who tallied his second goal of the season to give the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage.
    Then, in the 49th minute, just 3:42 removed from halftime, Alex Decosta sent a right footed pass to Collin Audley, who found the back of the net from 10 yards out to give Denver a 2-0 lead.
    Sacramento State cut the deficit in half in the 67th minute, as junior Scott Crandall streaked up the far sideline with the ball before sending a cross to the post that was headed in by fellow junior Zach Tuss for his second goal of the year, making the score 2-1.
    The Hornets appeared to tie it in the 77th minute, as redshirt freshman Chris Bettencourt hit a header that hit the bottom of the crossbar and bounced downward, but not over the goal line. Denver goalkeeper Joe Willis quickly booted the ball out of harms way, and the Pioneers held on to the 2-1 conference victory.
    For the match, Sacramento State ended up outshooting the Pioneers 16-15, with the Hornets putting seven shots on goal, all in the second half, to Denver’s six. Mathot led the way for the Pioneers with three shots, while Willis corralled six saves in goal. For the Hornets, Bettencourt led the offensive charge with four shots, while freshman Bryan Oliver provided four saves in goal.

COMEBACK BID ANSWERED AS HORNETS FALL TO AIR FORCE 2-1
    Air Force scored goals in the 53rd and 71st minutes, erasing a 1-0 deficit to defeat the Sacramento State men’s soccer team, 2-1, in conference action on Friday, Oct. 17 at Hornet Soccer Field.
    Sacramento State provided the games first goal in the 19th minute, as redshirt freshman Adam Bettencourt scored his second goal of the season off of a free kick from senior Omar Martinez that was punched out by Falcon ‘keeper Jim Gullo onto his awaiting right foot.
    The Hornets took the 1-0 lead into halftime, after outshooting the Falcons 11-6 during the first 45 minutes of play.
    The second half saw the amount of chances pick up for both team’s, in a game that was quickly moving from one end of the field to another. In the 53rd minute, Air Force’s Kevin Rosser centered a ball to Ben Chavez, who connected from 10 yards out on a shot that hit the top left corner of the net. tying the score at 1-1. Rosser then produced the eventual game-winner, as he blasted a shot of his own off the top left corner of the goal support from 18 yards out to give the Falcons a 2-1 conference victory.
    For the match, the Hornets outshot the Falcons 24-17, with Sacramento State posting nine shots on frame to the Falcons seven. Sacramento State also held a 9-1 advantage in corner kicks for the match, but did not produce a goal off of one.
    Sophomore Ernesto Carranza and junior Zach Tuss led the Hornets with five shots apiece, while Rosser led the Falcons with five shots of his own. Gullo produced eight saves for Air Force, while Hornet ‘keeper Bryan Oliver posted four saves, and the team picked up a team save in the fifth minute as sophomore Alex DeTorres kept a goal off the board on a sliding stop of a shot off the foot Josh Rhynard.