TURLOCK, Calif. - The 10th-ranked University of California San Diego men's soccer team got a winner-worthy goal from senior winger Justice Duerksen in the 55th minute and made it hold up to knock out Cal State San Bernardino, 1-0, in the semifinals of the 2016 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Tournament Friday afternoon at Warrior Stadium on the campus of host Stanislaus State.
UC San Diego improved to 15-2-2 overall. Cal State San Bernardino likely sees its season ended at 10-6-1. The Coyotes entered the contest a winner of three straight, a run that began with a 3-1 home victory over the Tritons just eight days prior. UCSD did not take kindly to what has been its only loss in the past 12 (10-1-1), surrendering more than one goal for the only time thus far in 2016, and avenged that result in more characteristic, shutout fashion for a top-five defense nationally.
The top-seeded Tritons will take on No. 2 seed Sonoma State this Sunday, Nov. 6, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m. at Warrior Stadium. It will be a third CCAA Tournament final for UCSD, in search of its first tourney crown, to go along with its first-ever CCAA championship.
The Coyotes generated the first real chance of the game in the ninth minute, when Ivan Quintero latched onto a long pass over the top, but CCAA Defensive Player of the Year Cameron McElfresh narrowed the angle, got big and made the save.
In the 22nd, Triton super sub Christian Cordell, who had just come off the bench, got the ball from a Jeff Powers header and produced some nice footwork on the right flank to free himself up for a left-footed cross. Senior striker Sam Palano's glancing header came off right where the crossbar meets the left post, however, as CSUSB dodged a major bullet.
Palano turned nicely and unleashed a powerful right-footed effort from 20 yards in the 33rd, but it was always rising over the bar. McElfresh was called upon to tip a tough, left-footed shot by Hieu Ngo over for a corner kick in the 41st minute.
UCSD set up camp in its offensive third to start the second stanza, with a quality right-sided cross by junior winger Zachary Lagotta (San Diego/Cathedral Catholic HS), several dangerous long throw-ins by specialist Uly de la Cal and a strong shot by senior winger Justice Duerksen among the chances. They led into arguably the best opportunity of them all for an opener, as Lagotta slipped de la Cal through on the right, and the junior striker's cross made it through a defensive touch and onto the left foot of Riley Harbour. The fourth-year senior, however, put too much air under it.
That pressure was rewarded at 54:06, with those same names involved. The action was started and finished by Duerksen, as he initially hit de la Cal, who in turn passed to Lagotta along the right flank. Lagotta then found Duerksen on his left wing, and the second-year transfer from Seattle University and San Clemente native put a pair of his signature stepover moves on the Coyote defender before curling a right-footed shot from 12 yards out, off the right post and in for his fourth of 2016. The assist was Lagotta's first this year.
UCSD was able to see out the result from there, although the Tritons did survive a scare with under a minute to go. A ball over the top from right to left was corralled by Daniel Looker, who cut in and took a shot, only for McElfresh to punch it away.
McElfresh finished with five saves, posting his league-best 11th individual clean sheet of the season and milestone 30th of his career, which ranks second all-time in program history. Freshman Jacob Huber had three stops for CSUSB.
Triton Notes: UCSD is 3-6-2 over its nine CCAA Tournament appearances, snapping a three-game winless streak (0-2-1) going back to a 2-1 overtime win over Chico State in the 2013 semifinal, also at Warrior Stadium ... The Tritons are 0-2 in two previous CCAA finals in 2003 in Carson and 2013 in Turlock ... They are 6-2-1 outside of La Jolla in 2016 ... His goal was Justice Duerksen's second game-winner this season ... Duerksen now has three goals and all four of his assists, over the past nine games since Oct. 7 ... The 15 wins are the Tritons' most of the Jon Pascale (2008) and NCAA Division II (2000) eras, besting the 14 (14-3-5) from 2013, and are UCSD's most since going 21-2-1 during its last Division III national-title season in 1993 ... Malek Bashti was absent due to injury, unable to make his seventh successive start, with fellow junior Uly de la Cal the beneficiary ... CSUSB was without first-year interim head coach Darren Leslie, who was issued a red card late in Tuesday night's 1-0 win at Chico State in a first-round match ... Two-time UCSD All-American goalkeeper and two-time CCAA Defensive Player of the Year Josh Cohen was among the support on hand.
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