Cal forward Alec Sundly ran toward the sideline, pumping his fist in celebration late Sunday afternoon in Edwards Stadium. His teammates, sprinting off the bench, mobbed the senior to the right of No. 2 Maryland’s goal.
In the 97th minute of Cal’s matchup with the Terrapins, Cal defender Steve Birnbaum redirected a corner kick towards the goal. Terp goalkeeper Zach Steffan made a diving stop, but he left a rebound right in front for Sundly. A simple touch was all it took to catapult the Bears to the upset victory.
“It was a tremendous clutch play,” said coach Kevin Grimes to Cal Athletics. “He found a way to get in the right place at the right time. He was on the field last year in that game against Maryland, and I think he wanted to say, ‘Sorry. That wasn’t us, and this is us.’”
In the opening weekend of the collegiate soccer season, the Bears (2-0-0) announced their re- emergence into national prominence with two significant upsets — a 3-2 victory over Maryland (0-1-1) on Sunday afternoon and a 2-0 shutout of No. 3 Georgetown (1-0-1) on Friday.
Cal started tremendously in the 14th minute, with a goal from the fifth-year senior Birnbaum. The defender, who played a total of 15 minutes all of last season, scored his second goal of the 2013 campaign with a header right underneath the post.
After 45 minutes, Birnbaum’s goal remained the only scoring play. The Bears defensive wall frustrated Maryland’s Patrick Mullins, the 2012 MAC Hermann Trophy winner, who did not record a single shot in the first frame.
But the Bears began the second half flat-footed. Less than 2 minutes in, a centering pass found Schillo Tshuma’s feet. Unmarked, the Maryland midfielder one-timed the ball into the back of the net and, just like that, the game was even.
“They fouled us three times in a minute and tried to knock us off our game,” Grimes said. “We were waiting for something else to happen, but we needed to make things happen. ”
When momentum was clearly shifting in favor of the Terps, the Bears pulled a trick out of their sleeve. On a counterattack, Forward Stefano Bonomo volleyed a crossing pass with his right foot to give Cal the 2-1 advantage.
With time running down and the Bears seemingly in cruise control to another upset victory, the Terps responded with a surprise of their own.
In the 78th minute, Maryland defender Jake Pace blasted a low shot on goal. The ball, which looked like an easy save for Cal keeper Justin Taillole, deflected off Bear defender Christian Dean and changed direction. There was nothing Taillole could do but watch as the ball rolled over the goal line and tied up the game 2-2, a score that would hold until the regulation whistle sounded.
“We told the guys this is our time to win this game,” Grimes said. “I said, ‘We have to keep our heads and let’s believe that we can do this today.’”
Seven minutes into the overtime, Sundly scored the game-winning goal. The upsets have set the Bears’ campaign off and running in the right direction, just like Sundly.
Contact Austin Crochetiere at [email protected].