On an early corner kick in the second minute against Oregon State on Sunday, Cal midfielder Alec Sundly rose above the opposing defense and directed a header at the goal.
Oregon State goalkeeper Matt Bersano made the save, but before he could gain control forward John Fitzpatrick swooped in and tapped the ball to put the Bears up 1-0.
That early goal proved to be the difference in a 1-0 victory for the Cal men’s soccer team at Edwards Stadium.
“It was huge for us,” said Fitzpatrick. “We knew it was going to be a battle.”
On Friday, Cal played to a 1-1 double-overtime tie against Washington (10-3-3, 5-0-2 in the Pac-12). In that match, the Bears (8-5-2, 3-3-1) quickly gave up a 1-0 lead midway through the second half but held on for the tie in 30 minutes of extra time.
“We knew we should’ve come out with a win last game,” Fitzpatrick said. “We had a lot of contributors this game so it was nice to see.”
Following a double overtime match, the Bears were playing on one less day of rest than the Beavers. The team knew they had to play through fatigue from Friday.
“The cards were stacked against us before the whistle blew,” Cal head coach Kevin Grimes said. “To be able to battle through; it was a great team effort.”
Cal made the most of its fast pace in the beginning of the first half by scoring the early goal.
However, Oregon State (6-7-2, 1-5-1) almost returned the favor at the beginning of the second half. The Beavers made a quick run up the field in the opening seconds and got off a shot that forced Cal goalkeeper Kevin Peach into a diving save.
With the 1-0 lead, the Bears played conservatively in the second half. They pushed forward when possible but were careful to not let the Beavers have any chance to take advantage of a breakaway opportunity.
Oregon State continued pressing forward, taking 11 shots and eight corner kicks in the second half. But Peach and the defensive line held strong, bouncing back every shot.
“The defense was spectacular today,” said Peach. “I thought our defense played well, cut down the angles, and made my life a whole lot easier.”
Peach had six saves in the second half as the Cal defense bent but never broke down.
“Kevin (Peach) did great,” Grimes said. “He’s had a great season, and the team knows they can count on him.”
Cal had a number of counterattack opportunities late in the second half, but never quite put the match out of reach.
But by the end, Fitzpatrick’s early goal proved to be the gamewinner, and a strong performance by the Cal defense was enough to come away with the win.
“I think our guys did a great job of being able to respond to the disappointment from Friday and come back today with a very good performance,” Grimes said.
Eric Riehl covers men’s soccer. Contact him at [email protected]
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