By Brynn Sherbert, Nov. 2, 2021
On Oct. 24, the CPP men’s soccer team scored a 3-0 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills at the Dignity Health Sports Park stadium in Carson, California, moving the Broncos into second place in the CCAA standings.
The Broncos snatched their sixth consecutive win and now sit at a 9-2-3 overall season score. This is only two points behind the top ranked team in the conference, Cal State Los Angeles.
According to Head Coach Matthew O’Sullivan, one of the Broncos’ signature strategies for success is to establish a strong, defensive lineup to prevent the opposing team from scoring.
“Our defense, intensity and hard work as a team was excellent,” O’Sullivan said. “Cal State Dominguez Hills is definitely one of the top teams in our conference and we played great, solid defense against them.”
Nearing the end of the first half, freshman forward Kevin Hernandez scored the first goal for the Broncos. Carrying the momentum from Hernandez’s goal, the Broncos placed an added emphasis on offensive plays as well.
Forward Paul Henschke and forward Jerry Ramirez each scored a goal in the second half, leaving the score at 3-0.
Scoring his eighth goal of the season, Ramirez was selected as CCAA player of the week for the second time this season.
“It felt unbelievable to score against Cal State Dominguez Hills, especially since we played at the LA Galaxy stadium with a wild atmosphere,” Ramirez said. “We were able to control the tempo of the game and our depth as a squad was too much for the Toros to handle.”
As the Broncos continued to apply pressure to the Toros, CSUDH attempted 14 shots toward the goal.
Senior goalkeeper and captain Jordan Aldama blocked each shot from the Toros, maintaining a shutout score as the final whistle blew.
Aldama believes his teammates’ clear communication and close bond allowed them to play cohesively on the field.
“We played as one unit offensively and defensively throughout the whole game,” Aldama said. “Cal State Dominguez Hills had spells with the ball, but we bucked together and knew we could ride out their waves.”
The Broncos will take on No. 1 ranked Cal State Los Angeles on Nov. 4 in their last conference game of the season.
“Day by day, play by play. That’s our mentality this season,” O’ Sullivan said. “We don’t know what will happen next and that’s the beauty of it all.”
For more information on the team, visit the CPP Athletics website.
Featured image courtesy of Tom Zasadzinski
