California State University, Monterey Bay’s (CSUMB) men’s soccer team secured their first win of the season in Cardinale Stadium, beating the Fresno Pacific University Sunbirds 6-1 on Sept. 5.
The energy on the field was tumultuous from the start, as multiple yellow cards were pulled in the first few minutes of the game. Kane Ritchie scored a goal assisted by Janos Kömmerling three minutes into the first half, but the Sunbirds clapped back with a goal of their own, less than a minute later.
Unsettled by the pressure, Fresno Pacific committed one of their many fouls leading to another yellow card, which Kömmerling scored CSUMB’s second goal off of. The Sunbirds began to argue with referees and hecklers in the crowd, while the Otters kept their heads in the game; the first half ended with CSUMB in the lead 2-1.
The Otters added four more goals in the second half. As the men’s team took care of business on the field, the CSUMB women’s soccer team showed their support with some tough love and skepticism in the stands.
Goalie Jessica Zavala said that spectating is “really hard because obviously as a player you’re used to being on the field, [and] you get anxious. [The men’s team is] doing pretty good at attacking but [they’re] causing some unnecessary fouls” during the first half.
Olivia Saenz, another goalie, added that the men’s team could work on releasing the ball. “I think [they] hold on a little too long sometimes when [they] could make a simple pass or cross.”
Constructive criticisms aside, the Otters blew Fresno Pacific out of the water, winning 6-1 after a 1-1 draw against Colorado School of Mines the previous Friday.
