San Francisco State University women’s soccer team beat Cal State East Bay 2-0 in a game that kept their playoff aspirations alive.
The Gators came into Thursday’s contest winless in this season’s first five home games at Cox Stadium but have managed to get a result in five of their last seven games. They hosted an East Bay team holding a record of 4-3-3 overall and 1-2-1 in conference play. Victory for either team meant ending the day sixth in the CCAA standings, good for the last playoff spot in the conference. The Gators lined up in a 4-4-2 formation, hoping to stay in the race for the CCAA playoffs.
Adriana Hernandez
The first half left much to be desired from the Gators as they were outshot 8-1 by their opponents. The best chance of the half came when midfielder Emily Fraye sent a ball forward that was misread by EBU defenders and their goalkeeper. The ball fell to forward Grace Messenger, who could only see her effort touch the top of the crossbar, with that being the only attempt on goal the Gators had in the first half.
The second half saw two game-changing substitutions from third-year head coach John DeMartini. Forward Cheyenne Dohan and midfielder Renee Davis –– both freshmen –– turned the tide of the game for the home team.
With 22 minutes remaining in the second half, midfielder Samantha Shim played an over-the-top ball through to Dohan, who spotted the goalkeeper off her line and chipped her from the top of the box.
“I saw the ball that Sam Shim played and I just took full advantage of it by chipping the keeper,” Dohan said.
The freshman expressed feeling the “chills” as she scored her first collegiate goal for SFSU, putting her team one nil up in a crucial game.
Five minutes later, Davis received the ball at midfield and took a left-footed shot from thirty yards out that rifled into the back of the net. Her goal would ultimately seal the game’s final scoreline of 2-0.
“I saw the defender head it down, the other defender went the other direction. I had the gap and I knew I had to take that shot otherwise, that gap wasn’t going to be there anymore,” said Davis on how she scored her first career college goal.
After the game, DeMartini said he was happy with his team’s performance and that the team was able to get their first home win of the season.
Adriana Hernandez
“It’s been coming for a long time, we’ve got a very young team. It takes six, seven, maybe ten games into the season for young players to understand that you have to compete all the time,” DeMartini said.
Both the coach and players said that today’s win gives the team momentum moving into their next match. They also believe that this victory can be a real marker for a turning point in their season to make the CCAA playoffs.
“I told them after the match, ‘You guys just took control over your own season,’” DeMartini said. “Our conference is the best Division II conference in the country, top to bottom. Every game’s a battle and a dogfight, so credit to East Bay.”
“This win puts us in a really good spot to make it to the playoffs,” Davis said. “This was a win that we wanted and a win that we needed.”
The Gators sit at 3-6-2 on the season and 2-2-1 in the CCAA Conference. With this win, they currently hold the sixth and final playoff spot. They will be traveling to Cal State University San Marcos for their next game on Oct. 15 at 11:30 a.m.
