Bakersfield – California State University Bakersfield men’s soccer has won two games in the finale of a three-game home stand and hosts Utah Tech on Thursday night (7 p.m.) at the main soccer field. The Roadrunners are 2-2-0 and 2-0-0 in home games after posting wins over Grand Canyon and Gonzaga a week ago. The underdogs entered this week’s tournament with a 0-3-0 record. CSUB also travels to California Baptist next Tuesday (7 p.m.), for a conference matchup between former Western Athletic Conference rivals.
Bakersfield’s recent run of success has been fueled by a strong effort on the defensive side of the ball. After allowing six goals in the opening weekend, CSUB gave up just one in a pair of wins last weekend. goalkeeper Filippo Dadone He was named Defensive Player of the Week after making six saves last Thursday and another pair Sunday night. Shami Kamara, Harry Downing, Bryson Hankins, Stephen Marcano And Connor Walsh They did most of the heavy lifting on the ‘Runner back line – limiting two high-powered offenses last weekend.
After falling in Bakersfield, a dangerous Grand Canyon team picked up a 3-2 victory over #4 UCLA on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
this week…
vs. Utah Tech (Thursday, September 8 – 7:00 PM) | Bakersfield, California See | Live Stats | Tickets
at California Baptist (Tuesday, September 13 – 7:00 PM) | Riverside, California | See | Live Stats | Tickets
Roadrunner Quick Kicks…
* Goalkeeper Filippo Dadone After making eight saves and posting a 2-0-0 record, Grand Canyon and Gonzaga were named the Big West Defensive Player of the Week heading into the weekend visit to Bakersfield.
* Second level Rene Cortez CSUB’s first win of the young season with both goals in a 2-1 win over Grand Canyon. The goal was the first of his career; Also, his debut was a multi-point effort…
* Shami Kamara He scored the only goal in the win over Gonzaga, his first career goal. CSUB has five goals this season, from five different goaltenders – four of whom netted their first career goals against the Bakersfield Blue and Gold.
* Jacob Fitzgerald & Andres Perez de Gracia As captain when they scored their first goal in 2022 Carlos Armendariz Wins 9th over GCU…
* Bakersfield picked up its first win of the season on the home field against Grand Canyon, in front of an announced crowd of 1,437, the largest CSUB football crowd since Oct. 6, 2021, when the club beat Viva Los Runners with 1,439. Cal State Fullerton. For the third time in the last calendar year, the ‘Runners have played home games with over 1,000 fans in attendance. Bakersfield made a big impact with a 3-2 win over No. 4 UCLA in Los Angeles after defeating Grand Canyon, which entered the season in the NCAA Coaches Poll, and following a loss at Kern County. .
* CSUB is 2-0-0 on the home turf this season, already matching their home win streak from the 2021 campaign. The ‘Runners have seven home contests remaining, including Thursday’s outing against Utah Tech. Bakersfield will host San Francisco in a non-conference matchup, and will face Sacramento State, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, CSUN and UC Riverside in Big West Conference games. CSUB won six home games during the 2009 season, the program’s best in the Division 1 tournament standings.
* Junior goalkeeper Filippo Dadone He was good between the goalposts early on, recording 17 total saves and a .708 save percentage in four contests (4.25 SV/GM). Last week, Dadone went 2-0-0 with eight saves to earn Big West Defensive Player of the Week honors. He made eight stops in the loss at San Jose State, the most by a CSUB keeper since the 2019 WAC semifinals — in a 1-0 win over the SJSU Spartans.
* Carlos Armendariz His goal against Grand Canyon was the game-winner, Bakerfield’s third career goal. Armendariz scored a pair of game-winners in 2021 as Cal State beat Fullerton and Sacramento State in penalty kicks.
* Senior captain and central midfielder Carlos Armendariz He was 4-for-5 from the free throw line in 2021, the most free throw goals and attempts of any Roadrunner in a Division I season. Armendariz has nine goals, six on penalty kicks. He was the team’s leading scorer a season ago and is the all-time leading scorer with nine goals and 19 career assists on the active roster.
*Runners advanced to the conference tournament by each head coach Richie GrantS Seven seasons in Bakersfield. Last season, CSUB finished fourth in the Big West — after being picked to finish dead last — and hosted a quarterfinal matchup with UC Davis on the main football field. This season, CSUB is ranked 8th in the 10 team league.
* Five different Roadrunners have appeared internationally at the youth or senior* level. Damian Alguera (USA and El Salvador) Stephen Marcano (Trinidad and Tobago*), Scott Pengelly (Northern Ireland), all of which boast international trophies Carlos Armendariz And Adrian Medina Each has represented the United States in futsal at the senior national level. Marcano dressed for T&T in friendlies last summer, in Bolivia and Belize.
* Ten Roadrunners have prepared for the college game by representing and competing in professional youth academies – including Damian Alguera (Philadelphia Union, Sports KC, SJ Earthquakes); Filippo Dadone (Juventus Academy) Harry Downing (Plymouth Argyle F.C.), Kevin Estrada (San Francisco Glens) Bryson Hankins (Seattle Sounders FC), Sucre Herrera (Sacramento Republic FC) Nathan Jimenez (Sacramento Republic FC) Adrian Medina (San Francisco Glens) Scott Pengelly (Fleetwood Town FC) and Andres Perez de Gracia (Crystal Palace FC and Derby County FC).
* Roadrunners fans can follow the team online and on social media all season long. @CSUB_Football on Twitter and Instagram for behind-the-scenes content and insight Visit GoRunners.com for full coverage, live stream links and more. Tickets and single game seating for all Bakersfield home games are now available at GoRunners.com/Tickets…
Next…
The Roadrunners will play two more conference contests on the school day against Sacramento State at 11:00 a.m. before opening Big West play at home against San Francisco and Portland at Bakersfield on September 28.
