MEN’S SOCCER — After a shaky start to the 2010 soccer season, the Tritons seem to have finally found their rhythm. The men’s soccer team defeated both Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State in style with back-to-back shutouts on Sept. 24 and 26.
The newfound winning streak began with an early goal scored by senior Shane Micheil in the Cal State Monterey game. His 19th-minute goal, assisted by senior Brandon Yee, gave the Tritons a 1-0 lead going into the half. The Tritons maintained their lead by stifling Cal State Monterey’s offense, as the Otters were prevented from taking single shot until the 58th minute of the game.
The team’s win in Monterey marked the first victory of the season. While the Tritons played a tight offensive game overall, it was Shane Micheil’s goal early in the first half that won them the match.
“It obviously feels great to score goals,” Micheil said. “It was super exciting to pull out the win.”
Micheil comes into this season with a successful track record from last year, racking up four goals and three assists in the 2009 season.
“It’d be nice to do better than I did last year, but that’s not my focus,” Micheil said. “My goal is to make it to playoffs and go from there.”
Following their success in Monterey, the men’s soccer team arrived in San Francisco and won that game by a decisive 2-0 margin. The first goal was made off a set piece by sophomore Kian Malek in the last four minutes of the first half. Sophomore Evan Walker further cemented the win with a goal off a breakaway in the 53rd minute of play.
“Every single guy played defense,” Coach Jon Pascale said in regard to the team’s success. “We had possession of the ball a lot and didn’t let them get any chances to score.”
Over on the other side of the pitch, newcomer stalwart freshman Jesse Brennan has made his presence known by making a total of seven saves in the two games played. After the successful weekend, Brennan has three shutouts on the season.
“Jesse Brennan has taken on an important role. He’s taken over that [keeper] spot and has been noticed,” Pascale said.
Brennan hasn’t just been noticed by his teammates and coaches, but by others within the California Collegiate Athletic Association. The keeper was awarded the CCAA player of the week for his efforts.
“It was a real honor,” Brennan said. “I was in class and my captain texted me [about it], and I was shocked because I didn’t even know that [CCAA Player of the Week] existed.”
Brennan attributes his strong performance to an intense off-season workout regimen.
“We went through an entire summer in training,” Brennan said. “A lot of weight training. Keepers are a lot about power. Because we only have 18 yards to work with, we’re really focused on quickness and power.”
The Tritons return to the pitch for a set of home games, beginning with Friday’s match against No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino. UCSD will have another home game on Sunday against Cal Poly Pomona. The games kick off at 4:30 p.m. and noon, respectively.
“We’re going to see two really good teams,” Pascale said. “Every team that you play in this conference is really good.”
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