| 2025 Big West Men's Soccer Championship First Round - No. 5 seed UC Davis, 0, No. 4 seed Cal State Fullerton 0; UCD advances on PKs, 5-4 |
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Come to find out, 110 minutes wasn't enough to decide the outcome of 2025 Big West Men's Soccer Championship first-round matchup between No. 4 seed Cal State Fullerton and fifth-seeded UC Davis at Titan Stadium in Fullerton, Calif.
The two sides battled to a scoreless draw that had to be broken by penalty kicks, with the Aggies coming out ahead, 5-4. Defending champion UC Davis (4-8-6) now advances to the semifinal round to take on top-seeded UC Santa Barbara in a rematch of the 2024 finale.
Despite no goals being netted in the run of play, host Cal State Fullerton fired 28 shots with eight on target, but was unable to break through the UC Davis defense with
Noah Schwengeler in net. The Aggies, meanwhile, finished the contest with 14 shots with six on frame, but nothing was able to get past keeper
Asger Hemmer. The Titans also held a 15-6 advantage in corner kicks, but neither side was able to capitalize on a set piece try throughout the game.
The shootout between the two sides was a closely contested duel with
Fernando Valenzuela starting the sequence for the Titans with a successful attempt, which was matched by
Cason Goodman. Cal State Fullerton' second man up,
Jose de la Torre, had the shot stopped by Schwengeler, allowing
Gavin House to give UCD the edge.
Big West Offensive Player of the Year
Mario Carlos,
Lucien Wa Bwanda, and
Ulises Grado each found the net for Cal State Fullerton, but the Aggies maintained their advantage with successful attempts by
Chase Tanon, Luke Goodman, and
Zack Lillington to clinch the victory. Interestingly, this is the second straight season, that the Aggies have been successful in advancing in a penalty kick contest on their opponents' home field to reach the next round of The Big West postseason.
The Titans applied early pressure in the game, evidenced by multiple shots in the first half including attempts from Carlos and Grado, though UC Davis' Schwengeler made key saves. The Aggies responded with opportunities of their own, highlighted by Cason Goodman's shot in the 26th minute, which was stopped by Hemmer.
UC Davis initiated the action in the second half with a corner kick in the 49th minute, followed by multiple attempts on goal, including a shot by Tanon in the 60th minute, which was saved by Hemmer. The Titans responded with a series of volleys into the goal with attempts by de la Torre and Carlos, but were unable to convert as Schwengeler made key saves. Despite the intensity, both teams failed to capitalize on their opportunities, resulting in a 0-0 draw to force golden goal extra time.
Seeking a decisive goal to end the game, overtime began with high tension. The Titans' de la Torre attempted a shot at 93:42, missing just outside the top right. The Aggies responded with a shot by Lillington at 97:34, which was followed by a corner kick. Cal State Fullerton's
Aiden Bengard nearly found the net with a shot in the bottom right at 99:33, but it was saved by UC Davis goalkeeper Schwengeler. The deadlock remained to force the second extra period, with Lillington seeing UC Davis opportunities in the first minutes of the period.
The second overtime period started with both teams fielding their lineups at the 100:00 mark. The Aggies' Lillington attempted an early shot at 100:27, which was followed by a corner kick. Lillington had another opportunity at 102:16, but his shot was saved by Hemmer. Shortly after, Tanon of UC Davis took a shot aimed at the bottom left, which Hemmer also saved. A shot by Grado at 108:18 was Cal State Fullerton's last chance to close out the game before penalties ensued to determined the advancing semifinalist team, eventually going to the vis.
The Titans close the season with an 8-6-6 overall record, and five wins in league play, tied for tops in The Big West.
Gallery: (11-5-2025) 2025 BW Champs: No. 4 CSF vs No. 5 UCD