NCAA SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS : Gamecocks End Titans’ Dream, 1-0

Leave it to Al Mistri, Cal State Fullerton’s soccer coach, to bring a little levity and perspective to the situation.

The Titans’ improbable run through the NCAA playoffs had just ended with a 1-0 loss to South Carolina in the semifinals at Davidson College, but Mistri wasn’t about to let it get him down.

“I’m still going to Disneyland,” Mistri said. “After all is said and done, I feel bad for my guys, but this has been a tremendous run, the run of a lifetime, and we’re going to be back. Nobody embarrassed us.”

Fullerton, which won playoff games at Fresno State, University of San Diego and University of San Francisco to advance to the final four, did stay in this one until the end.

South Carolina (16-3-4) scored on Jamie Posnanski’s shot with 8 minutes 7 seconds to play, but Fullerton (16-7) nearly tied it in the final two minutes before an NCAA-record crowd of 10,306 at Richardson Field.

Titan fullback Demian Brown launched a long pass from midfield toward the penalty box, where Fullerton’s Ken Hesse redirected the ball to Eddie Soto, who had slipped behind a defender on the left side.

As Soto settled the ball and prepared to shoot from about 15 yards out, South Carolina goalie David Turner rushed out to cut down the angle. Turner smothered Soto’s low shot with 1:40 left, and the Titans ran out of time.

“I knew if I stayed on the (goal) line he would score,” said Turner, whose Gamecocks will play Virginia on Sunday for the national championship. “I stayed low, kept my hands low and made the save. He hit the ball pretty well.”

Soto’s shot was one of the few notable scoring opportunities Fullerton had. The Titans were credited with only seven shots on goal.

In the first game, Virginia defeated Princeton, 3-1, on three first-half goals by Nate Friends.