Men’s soccer shuts out CSU San Marcos

Two freshmen Eagles score winning goals for first win of the season.

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor • September 11, 2019

Freshman midfielder Chad Sinclair attempts to steal the ball from his opponent, during the game against California State University San Marcos on September 11, 2019.

Photo courtesy of Marlena Lang // THE CHIMES

Men’s soccer collected their first home win under the lights against California State University, San Marcos Cougars on Wednesday. Midway through the match, two freshman Eagles both snuck a goal past the Cougars goalkeeper, earning their first victory of the season by a final score of 2-0.

The first half proved slow for the Eagles as they came out feverishly on defense. However, they only attempted two shots during this time. The closest shot attempt came with five minutes left in the half, as freshman midfielder Jack Kilgallon kicked low and left to the goal which was later saved by the Cougars goalkeeper.

Two minutes later, the Eagles got the crowd on their feet with their first goal of the game. Junior forward Jack MacDonald set the ball up for freshman midfielder Dylan Memory, who kicked the ball into the lower right side of the goal.

“I just thought, ‘Get to an area where I can pick something up. Just find the ball somewhere, make something happen,’” Memory said.

After halftime, the Eagles picked up where they left off by scoring their second goal of the game with two assists. Senior forward Hunter Finnegan crossed to the right side outside of the box to freshman midfielder Chad Sinclair, which deflected to freshman defender Owen Setran and he quickly kicked the ball to the lower right of the goal for the Eagles.

“I was just trying to get the shot off quick and keep it low,” Setran said. “Second half, we came out, putting a couple hard tackles, kind of controlled the game a little bit.”

The Eagles attempted three more shots before the Cougars would attempt their final shot in the final seconds of the game. After a foul from senior defender Jake Munivez, the Cougars were awarded an indirect kick and they took the shot straight to the goal. The goal was counted but was later recalled by officials because the Cougars did not allow another player to assist the goal. This brought the score back to 2-0 as the Eagles grabbed their first blowout win.

“We tried to put them under pressure and at times they were putting our backs under pressure. I think the effort all the way around was our best by far,” head coach Todd Elkins said. “The guys came out humbled by that of recognizing that we gotta go to work, we gotta work hard, we gotta fight for everything.”

The Cougars kept Eagles’ freshman goalkeeper JD Gunn on his feet. He defended 15 shots towards the goal and collected five saves throughout the match.

The Eagles moved to 1-2 in non-conference matches and will look for a second win at the University of California, San Diego on Saturday at 7 p.m.

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About the Contributor

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor

Sasha Terry is a senior journalism major who is known for her positivity and passion. She enjoys writing, playing sports, watching movies, traveling, shopping and spending time with friends and family. After traveling from Auburn, Washington which is about 40 minutes south of Seattle, to Biola University, I declared to major in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast. I came to Biola University with a strong passion for being involved in activities on campus that would demonstrate my artistic and writing abilities. The Chimes caught my eye the first semester of my freshman year and I decided to work with the staff as a freelance sports writer. I enjoyed attending the games, interviewing the coaches and players and writing game recaps. The next semester, I applied for the sports staff writer position and was accepted, which strengthened my writing drastically. During my sophomore and junior year, I worked as a Web Editor and innovated the Chimes website and social media pages. This year, I am stepping into the Copy Editor position and I aim to continue working towards my goal of being a broadcast journalist by reporting stories and challenging myself to learn more about AP Style. I will also continue to write for the sports section to strengthen my writing even more. I’m so glad to be a part of the staff and I’m excited for what’s to come next.